DAVAO CITY — When everyone is anxious thinking about the Coronavirus-19 pandemic, a remote Indigenous People’s town of Davao del Norte who until now remains virus free cleared their lands to pave way to the housing project given by President Rodrigo Duterte through the National Housing Authority (NHA).
Of the 100 proposed IP houses, 24 units are now standing as lay-out is completed for Balai Ugpaanan in Sitio Gatong.
The contractor was ordered to hire ten (10) skilled and ten unskilled residents to work for the project.
“The houses here are already in proper social distances as we are far apart because of the vast land which God gave us. During the Enhanced Community Quarantine, instead of staying at home doing nothing, the IP beneficiaries of the NHA project, helped in clearing the area for their proposed IP housing. So we slowly moved within our community given the lockdown outside,” Talaingod Mayor Jonnie Libaya told Newsline in vernacular.
The project which costs P20-million for 100 housing units was already awarded to the contractor prior to the health crisis, and it became a community effort to help clear the land while everyone was at home.
Libayao said, “We did not allow non-residents to enter our town during ECQ, but those who returned home from nearby towns of Davao del Norte were subjected to a 14-day quarantine, and there was only a handful, so the health condition was very manageable. Thank God, we only had persons under monitoring, those are the returning residents, prior to the General Community Quarantine (GCQ), and, now we are under Modified Community Quarantine (MGCQ)”.
On January 28, NHA general manager Marcelino Escalada Jr. led the groundbreaking ceremony for the housing project in Sitio Nasilaban Barangay Palma Gil here.
Escalada Jr. gave the assurance during the groundbreaking ceremony for the housing project in Sitio Nasilaban Barangay Palma Gil.
Escalada said the project aims to address the needs of the IPs especially those who were living in the disadvantaged areas.
The 300 IP housing projects are Balai Lupowanan in Barangay Nasilaban (100 units), Balai Pig Imim’manan in Sitio Mesolong, Barangay Sto. Niño (100 units), and Balai Ugpaanan in Sitio Gatong, Barangay Palma Gil (100 units).
Escalada said, “Our President is willing to help and support our IP brothers and sisters. And we hope that you will take care of this project. A home is a symbol of a family’s sacredness,” Escalada said.
Libayao on the other hand said the project will change the lives of the IPs and thanked NHA for choosing their municipality as the project recipient.
“This will elevate the living conditions of our IP brothers and sisters. I hope and pray that projects will keep pouring in our town,” Libayao concluded.
Datu Naro Federico, one of the beneficiaries said “Sauna dili ko ko motuo nga tagaan mi ug mga balay. Karon, nakita na naku hapit na mahuman, Walay kabutangan sa akong kalipay. Salamat kaayo kang President ug sa NHA kay naa na mi tarong nga balay, (Before, I did not believe that we will be given houses. Now, it see it, it is almost done. I cannot explain the my happiness, my house is almost done. I tank the President and the NHA because I will have a good house).”
Davao del Norte Governor Edwin Jubahib said theIP housing marks a new beginning for residents of Talaingod “They can see and feel the sincerity of government in it’s fight against insurgency and in ending poverty.”-Newsline
