The 220,000-hectare Ligawasan Delta, surrounded by Maguindanao del Sur, Maguindanao del Norte, Sultan Kudarat, Cotabato, Bukidnon and South Cotabato is a like catch basin for more than a dozen large rivers that springs from hinterlands in the six provinces.
The delta drains downstream, to the western coast of Cotabato City, via waterways traversing a number of towns in Maguindanao del Norte.
The delta had been proven by experts to have vast deposit of natural gas, waiting to be tapped. (August 18, 2024, handout photo, Zaynab Afdal Ampatuan)