COTABATO CITY, Philippines – The Department of Health (DoH) in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) have extended the period of distribution of PhilHealth cards to more than half a million indigents in the region until July 31.

PHIC had earlier declared a second round of the National PhilHealth Registration Day dubbed “PhilHealth Sabado Part II” on June 25 to allow some of the country’s poorest of the poor to avail of a PhilHealth card.

DoH-ARMM Secretary Dr. Kadil Sinolinding said they had managed to distribute 7,870 cards out of the total number of remaining targets for PhilHealth coverage this year during such date.

The ARMM government has prioritized PhilHealth coverage on its constituents especially the less fortunate to help abate leading problems on health such as high maternal and infant mortality.

Meanwhile, ARMM officials expressed fear on Wednesday that prolonged flooding in Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur may trigger a food shortage because inundations have crippled rice production while thousands of families including farmers became dependent of state rations.

ARMM Executive Secretary Naguib Sinarimbo raised the possible grim scenario after receiving reports from the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Management Council (RDRRMC) that most if not all rice and corn farms in some 30 agricultural towns in the two provinces have been ruined or rendered idle by continued flooding.

At weekly “Tapatan sa ARMM” media forum here Wednesday, Sinarimbo said the tendency of a food shortage is very high, especially if floods, which started more than a month ago, will stay until the next crop season.

According to the damage assessment and needs analysis (DANA) report to the ARMM’s RDRRMC, over 77,000 families, mostly farmers, have been adversely affected by floods caused by continued downpours in 27 towns in Maguindanao and four in Lanao del Sur.

Maguindanao, Sinarimbo said, has been one of the top producers of rice in the country but with its 27 municipalities still under floodwaters, there would be shortage of food in the province.

“As we are speaking now, 27 municipalities in Maguindanao are still submerged in flood,” he said.

He said thousands of farmers “will be prompted to shift to other means of livelihood like fishing and upland farming.”

Sinarimbo said that the Office of the Regional Governor is waiting for a comprehensive report containing recommendations from the ARMM’s Department of Agriculture and Fisheries (DAF) and other agencies concerned.

He said that their interventions will be based on those recommendations.

The RDRRMC’s DANA report said that at least 7,000 hectares of rice fields and 5,300 hectares of corn farms have been affected by floods in Maguindanao alone, adding that majority of these damaged farms cannot be repaired immediately while others are beyond rehabilitation.