DAVAO CITY –— Fifty families who lost their house due to war were given new homes in the village of Simsiman in the town of Pigcawayan where they celebrate Ramadān as the Bangsamoro Government officially turned over 50 newly built housing units to the deserving beneficiaries.
The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) government allocated P27.8 million for the project situated in the village considered a Special Geographic Area (SGA) .
Each house features three bedrooms, a kitchen, a living area, and a comfort room and it is solar-powered which means the residents need not worry about the power bill.
The budget was taken against the 2020 Special Development Fund (SDF)—an allocation for initiatives focused on “rebuilding, rehabilitation, and development of conflict-affected communities” from the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD).
During the ceremony on March 4, Housing Minister Atty. Hamid Aminoddin Barra said the housing provision is part of the regional government’s commitment to the Bangsamoro people.
“This shows our concern for the Bangsamoro people as one of the agencies of the Bangsamoro Government,” Barra said
The village is among the barangays under the BAMM which was carved out from the province of Cotabato. The new jurisdiction was an offshoot of the ratification of the Bangsamoro Organic Law (BOL) in 2019.
The sporadic skirmishes in the area displaced residents and became homeless, properties were damaged and lives were lost.
When BARMM was established, the new regional autonomous government started to provide decent housing and build roads, markets, government entities, and other infrastructure projects.
Senior Minister Abunawas Maslamama who spoke in Maquindanaoan vernacular during his speech said “What we have achieved today including those other accomplishments of the regional government are breakthroughs in our governance.”
The lawyer explained that house and home are different—the former referring to the structure while the latter means having families who love and care for each other dwelling in place.
A testament
Beneficiaries said the house given to them is a testament that the government is supporting them.
Abdulsalam Eson, 65, a beneficiary who lost his house during the war thanked the Bangsamoro government for providing him a decent home to celebrate Ramadan.
“I lost my house in a fire during the war, my age also constrained me to work hard a build a house for my family, We are thankful to the Bangsamoro Government for this project which solves one of our basic needs,” Eson added.
In the case of 48-year-old Myra Engkungan, who sold her house in order to fund the hospitalization expense of a sibling said the new house gives her the comfort of the house her family lost.
Bangsamoro Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim has vowed to uplift the lives of his people and provide them the house they deserve.-with a report from Abdullah Matucan/BIO
