COTABATO CITY—Bangsamoro Government’s Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD) has already constructed 1,107 housing units, a significant increase of 330 percent from August 2023 record.
This was based on the Ministry’s report as of June 30, 2024, under its Resettlement Housing Program.
The program aims to provide costless housing units with water systems, solar lights, access roads, and support services for resettlement, which may include livelihood services from partner agencies.
Among the intervention’s target beneficiaries are former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF) combatants, the poorest of the poor, victims of calamity or conflict, indigenous people, and internally displaced persons (IDPs) who are identified and selected with the help of other partners such as local government units (LGUs).
According to MHSD, the 1,107 units include 300 in Basilan, 257 in Maguindanao del Norte (MDN), 200 in Sulu, 200 in Special Geographic Areas (SGA), 100 in Tawi-Tawi, and 50 in Maguindanao del Sur (MDS).
Other construction
There are 2,561 housing units that are currently under construction, to wit: 850 in Lanao del Sur (LDS), 350 in Tawi-Tawi, 336 in MDN, 325 in SGA, 300 in Basilan, 250 in Sulu, 100 in MDS, and 50 outside the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).
On the other hand, there will be 725 housing units that are yet to be constructed and another 50 units that are undergoing procurement.
Generally, the completed, ongoing, and soon-to-be constructed units were funded under the Bangsamoro Appropriations Act (BAA) 2020-Kapayapaan sa Pamayanan (KAPYANAN), BAA 2020-Marawi Rehabilitation Program (MRP), BAA 2020-Regular Fund, General Appropriations Act of the Bangsamoro (GAAB) 2021-2024, and Special Development Fund (SDF) 2020-2023.
Success story
Aslamiha Abdulkassar, a beneficiary from the Municipality of Maluso, Basilan, shared how her family’s life changed upon receiving the housing unit.
“Before, we were among the residents of Maluso, who had no permanent addresses and houses,” Abdulkassar said.
She added, “There were times when we were kicked out and unfortunately stayed almost everywhere.”
The Bangsamoro recipient stressed her gratitude to the regional government, especially the MHSD, for the aid extended to them.
“Now, we do not need to worry anymore about our roof blowing off because we are now living in a well-structured house,” she stated.
Ministry’s commitment
MHSD Minister Atty. Hamid Aminoddin Barra expressed his optimism that the program’s recipients would transform their houses into abodes of harmony.
“I am hoping that the beneficiaries of these housing units will build homes in their houses so that we will attain a progressive Bangsamoro community,” said Minister Barra on the MHSD’s Facebook post.
Developing a system of reliable and resilient infrastructure is the fifth priority agenda of Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim. (Johamin Inok/BIO).
