Residents in flooded areas here expressed relief over the much-anticipated assistance from the Office of the President (OP) on Saturday, distributed in at least three locations in the province.

The OP has provided PHP5,000 cash assistance each to about 6,000 residents in the most affected areas of Datu Abdullah Sangki, Mamasapano, and Ampatuan towns.

The sequence of flash floods brought by inclement weather since last month has displaced over 38,000 families in the province.

Zainab Bagan, a resident of this town and one of last month’s flood victims, was elated about the timely financial assistance from the OP.

“Malaking tulong po ito, nagpapasalamat kami kay Pangulong BBM at naalala kami at pinadalhan ng ayuda dito sa Maguidanao del Sur (This is huge help, we thank PBBM that he provided this aid to us in Maguindanao del Sur),” Bagan, a mother of five, said in the vernacular.

Kigan Kamza Abdullah, a farmer and flood victim from Barangay Talisawa, Datu Abdullah Sangki, Maguindanao del Sur, also lauded the OP intervention.

“I never expected this, it was the first time that a team from Malacañang came over to provide us financial assistance,” Abdullah said in Maguindanaon after receiving P5,000 cash.

Bagan and Abdullah were among the thousands of families affected by floods spawned by the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) that affected 140 villages in 14 towns in Maguindanao del Sur last month, which received financial aid from Malacañang.

The OP’s Presidential Help Desk on Wheels has extended financial aid to the 6,000 flood-affected individuals from the three municipalities.

Meanwhile, Anwar Kuit Emblawa, a resident of this town’s Barangay Kamasi, said he expects the Presidential Help Desk on Wheels to conduct another round of aid distribution, as there are still a huge number of flood victims who have yet to receive aid.

“The (Kamasi) villagers were not included in last Saturday’s aid distribution, but they, too, have suffered losses,” he said. (PNA)