The chief minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has declared a state of calamity in the region after three of its component areas were severely affected by floods.

The BARMM government released Thursday the state of calamity declaration issued by Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim after most parts of Maguindanao, the region’s Special Geographic Area in North Cotabato and this city were submerged by floods.

“Therefore, I, Ahod Ebrahim, chief minister of the BARMM, hereby declare a state of calamity in the entire region from August 18 to October 31, 2022 due to widespread flooding caused by successive weather systems,” Ebrahim said.

Ebrahim’s proclamation was signed on Aug. 18, but was only made public Thursday.

“The declaration of calamity will provide augmentation to the ongoing response operations and recovery efforts of BARMM,” he said.

In this city, about 20 of the 37 barangays have been flooded, affecting thousands of residents in low-lying villages. In the SGA, at least 80 percent of 63 BARMM villages in North Cotabato were underwater for the past 30 days.

On Wednesday, the Maguindanao provincial board placed the entire province under a state of calamity due to floods that submerged 105 villages in 13 of its towns.

Maguindanao Vice Governor and Sangguniang Panlalawigan presiding officer Bai Ainee Sinsuat said some 46,922 families or 234,610 individuals in province’s 36 towns were also affected.

BARMM has yet to release the total number of barangays and residents affected in the region as these were being validated and counter-checked. (PNA)