Philippines bananas

Week-long rains have flooded parts of Maguindanao, the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), the Philippines, and destroyed about PHP331m (US$7.6m)worth of crops, reports the Philippine Daily Inquirer.

ARMM official Loreto Rirao on Friday (10 June) said floodwaters had destroyed banana and vegetables, as well as corn, Palay and tobacco.

He said the worst-hit town was Pagalungan, which sits beside the Malitubog River in the border of Maguindanao and North Cotabato. More than 900 farmers lost crops worth at least PHP304m (US$7m), he said, adding that at least 12 towns in the ARMM remained under water.

In North Cotabato, seven persons have died since the onset of typhoon Chedeng last week. Millions of pesos in crops were also destroyed in 10 towns, a report from the Central Mindanao disaster council said.

In Matanao, Davao del Sur, the town council has declared a state of emergency due to floods that submerged several villages.