MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday conducted an aerial inspection of Paeng-hit Maguindanao, and cited the need to address climate change and flood control to avoid mass casualties during tropical cyclones.

Talking to Bangsamoro regional and local officials, Marcos noted that some areas that were not previously affected by floods were among those heavily inundated by Tropical Storm Paeng.

"In the recent years, iyong dating dinadaanan ng baha, hindi na doon. Iba na ang dinadaanan eh. That’s the problem. Talagang may climate change talaga. It’s undeniable. That’s the problem sa preparation natin," Marcos said.

He was reacting to a report from Maguindanao Gov. Mariam Mangudadatu, who said that the flooding caused by Paeng in their mountainous and coastal areas were unexpected.

"Iyong inaasahan nating baha sa lowland na probinsya ng Sultan Kudarat ay hindi nangyari. Nagulat ang lahat na ang pagbabaha ay nangyari sa taas at sa coastal areas namin, namely in the municipalities of Lebak, Kalamansig at Palimbang," she said.

• 'Nagulat ang communities': Why tragedy struck Maguindanao during Paeng's onslaught

Marcos said that tree planting should be part of the government's flood control efforts, as it "will really save lives."

"Noong nasa helicopter kami ni Bai Mariam (Mangudadatu), na-notice ko lahat ng gumuho, kalbo ang bundok. That’s the problem... So we have to include tree planting in our flood control. Dapat kasama yan. Kung gagastos tayo sa flood control, kailangan may tree planting," he said.

Mangudadatu reported that 61 people were killed by Paeng's onslaught in Maguindanao, with 40 others wounded and 17 still missing.

The storm also affected 622,505 people—or 124,501 families—in the said province.

Six barangays in Maguindanao were hit by landslides, Mangudadatu said.

Marcos underscored the need for improved coordination between the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) and local government units (LGUs) in times of disaster.

"I think that is something that we can improve on, the coordination between the LGUs and BARMM. And then 'yung procedures. I know that you are just drawing up your procedures now. But you can see kung bakit this is so important," he said.

He called out BARMM and local officials for their lack of joint response operations, saying it is important to "maximize all of your assets."

Marcos later headed to an evacuation center in Datu Odin Sinsuat, where he led the distribution of aid to families temporarily seeking shelter there.

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