COTABATO CITY โ September 25, 2025 โ At least 29 towns in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) remain flooded after days of heavy rains caused the Ligawasan Delta โ Mindanaoโs largest marshland โ to overflow, affecting nearly 97,000 residents.
The floods hit communities in Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, and BARMMโs Special Geographic Area (SGA), home to 63 predominantly Moro barangays carved out of Cotabato province.
Since Sunday, September 21, the BARMM Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Incidence (READi) and local responders have evacuated 46,223 villagers to higher ground. Many are now sheltering in makeshift evacuation centers and covered courts.
Chief Minister Abdulrauf Macacua on Wednesday, September 24, ordered an expansion of relief and rescue operations to swampy areas in the two Maguindanao provinces that remain at risk of rising waters.
โThe Ligawasan Delta is a catch basin of more than a dozen rivers from Bukidnon, Cotabato, Maguindanao del Norte, Maguindanao del Sur, South Cotabato, and Sultan Kudarat. With the recent downpours, the overflow was inevitable,โ Macacua said.
BARMM agencies have so far delivered at least 26 tons of food packs to displaced families, according to local officials.
The Ligawasan Delta, spanning about 220,000 hectares, is both a vital wetland ecosystem and a highly flood-prone area. Communities around it regularly face inundation during the rainy season, raising calls for stronger disaster resilience planning in Central Mindanao.
Macacua and BARMM-READi director Mohammad Farzieh Abutazil are currently supervising relief operations in the affected areas.
About The Author
