COTABATO CITY — Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD) continues to expand the construction of housing units for resettlement projects intended for the former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants (Mujahideen), internally displaced persons (IDPs), and other needy sectors in the Bangsamoro region.
On Wednesday, Dec. 22, the ministry broke ground 150 units of housing projects for the Barangays of Buricain and Simsiman in Pigcawayan, North Cotabato and for Brgy. Nabalawag in Barira, Maguindanao.
Funded under the Special Development Fund (SDF), each of the 50-unit of resettlement housing projects for Barangays Buricain and Simsiman are worth Php28,722,864.15 and Php27,839,114.58, respectively.
On the other hand, for Brgy. Nabalawag, the ministry has earmarked Php25,475,931.55 for the establishment of another 50 –unit housing project with land development, subsidized under the General Appropriations Act of the Bangsamoro (GAAB) for the Fiscal Year 2021.
All of the ministry’s 150 units of resettlement housing projects are expected to be completed within 200 days or around mid-2022.
In his message, MHSD Minister Atty. Hamid Aminoddin Barra said that housing project for Mujahideen is just one of the deliverables that the ministry is doing to help the Bangsamoro communities.
“As we go on with the extension of the Bangsamoro Transition Authority (BTA), we will be doing more development. In the case of MHSD – including our 2022 projects – we will be constructing more than two (2) thousand houses,” Minister Barra said.
Barra also shared that four (4) municipalities in Lanao del Sur have already benefited from the same project, including the provincial islands of Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi, as well as the city of Cotabato.
“By next week, we will be signing a contract with the island provinces for the construction of 600 housing units,” Barra added.
The selection of target beneficiaries of the project will be in the hands of MILF contingents.
According to Chief of the Housing and Human Settlements Division Engr. Yasser Rapun, in the case of Barangays Buricain and Simsiman, each project’s lot area has 2 hectares, and each house has an area of 42 sq. meters.
“In the terms of land acquisition, we have some projects where we bought parcels of land or otherwise they are donated,” Rapun said.
The event was also enjoined by the partner contractors for the housing construction namely Lions Convergence Construction and Development (Simsiman), BAMEC Developers General Contractor and Development (Buricain), and Dawing Construction (Nabalawag).
Also present at the event were MHSD Director-General Esmael Ebrahim, Chief of Planning and Design Division Engr. Zainodin A. Buisan, Admin and Finance Chief Nomaire Madid, MHSD officials, and media partners. (Bangsamoro Information Office)
