COTABATO CITY —- The National Housing Authority through the provincial government of North Cotabato turned over 100 housing units to Indigenous Peoples (IPs), whose houses were devastated by the series of earthquakes in 2019.
The housing units will be the new home for the T’boli and Blaan tribespeople in Barangay Bacung, Tulunan, North Cotabato.
National Housing Authority general manager Marcelino Escalada Jr. in an interview with Newsline.ph said the project is among the housing projects which President Rodrigo Duterte committed to provide to the families hit by the 2019 earthquakes.
Escalada said, the NHA funded the project which was channeled through North Cotabato Governor Nancy Catamco.
“We just provided the fund as instructed by the President, the provincial government in coordination with the local government unit identified the beneficiaries of the program,” Escalasa emphasized.
Gaudencio Ogit Jr, president of the IPs in Barangay Bacung and one of the housing beneficiaries said, they appreciated the efforts of the governor, the town officials, and the NHA for giving them “decent homes” for their families.
“I could hardly find words to describe how happy we are, now we can say that the government also cares for us people in the mountain,” he said.
Catamco lauded the cooperation of Tulunan municipal officials for the realization of the project.
“Leadership is not about competition, we need to help each other, support each other and be an inspiration to others so we can reach our common goals here, which is the housing for our IPs,” Catamco, a member of Manobo tribe in North Cotabato, said in her speech Tuesday in the village.-Edwin O. Fernandez
