Flooding displaces 47,500 Filipinos

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SULTAN KUDARAT, Philippines, June 1 (UPI) -- Heavy rain Tuesday triggered more flooding in the Maguindanao area of the Philippines, where 9,338 families already had been displaced, officials said.

The most recent flooding occurred before dawn in Sultan Kudarat and Cotabato City, where flooding stalled cars and filled low-lying houses, GMANews.tv reported.

During the last week, flash floods displaced 9,338 families -- about 47,500 people in all -- throughout the Maguindanao region, the Philippine Inquirer reported Tuesday.

Members of the army's 603rd Infantry Brigade were serving as flood watchmen on the Ambal and Simuay rivers and were ready to alert people downstream of flash flooding, Brig. Gen. Ernesto Aradanas said.

"Our troops are also ready to transport families trapped in interior villages," Aradanas said.

Many residents were living on the second floor of their homes with valuables packed and cars placed farther away on high ground, he said.