COTABATO CITY - The Maguindanao del Sur provincial board approved Tuesday a resolution declaring the entire province in a state of calamity due to massive flooding that submerged 17 of 24 municipalities and affected over 60,000 families. Tim Ambolodto, provincial disaster risk reduction and management officer, said the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council has recommended placing the province under calamity to allow the provincial government to use its calamity funds. A total of 123 villages in 17 of 24 towns in Maguindanao del Sur remained underwater due to light to heavy downpours in the province and nearby areas over the past few days. Maguindanao Sur is located in the upper portion of the Liguasan Marsh, which served as a catch basin for flood water from Bukidnon, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, and South Cotabato provinces. The floods have claimed the life of a 22-year-old man who drowned in Barangay Damalasak, Pagalungan town, on Sunday, while trying to save his cow. Ambolodto said t he cost of damage to civilian properties, agriculture, and animals has yet to be determined. Source: Philippines News Agency