Heavy rains caused flooding in 19 low-lying villages in southern Philippines, state-run Philippine News Agency reported Monday.

The Office of Civil Defense in Region 12 said several rivers and irrigation channels swelled due to heavy rains on Sunday. Floods affected parts of General Santos City and Norala town in South Cotabato province.

In South Cotabato, an initial 79 hectares of farm lands and residential communities in Norala town were submerged in floodwater.

The Norala Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Coordinating Council reported that 526 families were affected by the floods. A bridge and various crops were also damaged by the floodwaters.

While the floodwaters have subsided in General Santos city and in South Cotabato province, flood and landslide alerts are still up in these areas and in other parts of Mindanao due to a low pressure area (LPA) which continues to move closer to the region.

The Philippine Atmospheric Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration said the LPA was spotted at 300 kilometers southeast of Mindanao and could become a tropical storm.

The weather disturbance is expected to bring moderate to heavy rains in Mindanao which may trigger flashfloods and landslides. Endi

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