COTABATO CITY (PIA) — The Bangsamoro Government, through the Ministry of Human Settlement and Development (MHSD), continues to provide more shelters to Bangsamoro indigents who have lost their houses due to fire and other calamities.
Last month, during the Housing and Human Settlements Forum held in this city, officials from MHSD led the ceremonial awarding of 250 housing units to beneficiaries from the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte and Basilan.
Sharifa Sampayan (far left), one of the beneficiaries of the 250 housing units, received her house contract from the officials of MHSD.
One of the beneficiaries, Sharifa Sampayan, 27, from Barangay Simuay, Sultan Kudarat, Maguindanao Norte, beamed with so much joy and appreciation to the Bangsamoro government for the awarded shelter for her family.
“Isa po kami sa mga nasunugan, nawalan po kami ng bahay. Sobrang laking tulong po ito kasi wala kaming bahay, nakikitira lang po kami sa manugang ko [We were one of those fire victims whose house was gutted by fire. This is a big help because we don’t have a house; we are just staying with my in-laws],” the teary-eyed Sampayan narrated.
Housing beneficiary Sharifa Sampayan turns emotional after receiving the house contract from MHSD-BARMM.
Sampayan also encouraged those families who aspire to have their own house to not lose hope and continue to trust God’s timing.
“Maraming salamat sa BARMM dahil marami silang natulungan. Maganda ang mga proyekto nila, sana mag tuloy-tuloy [Thank you very much to the BARMM government because they have helped a lot of people. Their projects are nice; I hope they will continue],” she added.
Sampayan, along with other beneficiaries, is a recipient of the 50-unit housing resettlement project in Maguindanao del Norte funded under the Bangsamoro government’s General Appropriations Act 2022.
Other beneficiaries of the 250 housing units also fall in line to receive their housing keys during the BARMM’s ceremonial handover of the units. Most of the beneficiaries came from the provinces of Maguindanao del Norte and Basilan.
The other beneficiaries who also symbolically received their housing units came from the 100-housing resettlement project with water system level 2 in Barangay Baguindan, Tipo-Tipo, and another 50 units in Barangay Proper Tuburan, Muhammad Ajul, both in the province of Basilan. The project is financed through the Special Development Fund 2020 of the Bangsamoro Government.
Completing the list were beneficiaries from Barangay Tipo-Tipo proper, Tipo-Tipo, where MHSD constructed a 50-unit housing resettlement sourced from the 2022 GAA of the Bangsamoro.
According to MSSD-BARMM, each housing unit worth P600,000 has a kitchen and comfort rooms, as well as two bedrooms.
The BARMM government, through the Ministry of Public Works, is also working on the road projects that will be constructed in the areas where the housing units are located.
BARMM chief minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim tells the Bangsamoro people that the government is doing everything to try to deliver on its promise to improve the quality of lives of the people by providing them, especially the marginalized, with decent homes.
In his statement, BARMM chief minister Ahod Balawag Ebrahim emphasized that the Bangsamoro government is keeping its promise to the Bangsamoro people—to build a home on a foundation of care, collaboration, and compassion.
“Let’s continue to work towards the realization of our long-held aspiration of a peaceful, progressive, vibrant, and sustainable Bangsamoro. Let us create a better future for ourselves, our communities, and the generations to come,” he urged his constituents.
Ministry of Human Settlement and Development Minister Hamid Aminoddin Barra vows to continue to build homes for the homeless Bangsamoro families.
Further, MHSD minister Hamid Aminoddin Barra said that the ministry, as the housing arm of the Bangsamoro government, will continue to build decent homes for every deserving Bangsamoro family.
“We are here for the Bangsamoro government; we are serving the Bangsamoro people; we are serving our Bangsamoro homeland; and we are also serving the Filipinos,” he added.
Along with the distribution of housing units, MHSD also conducted a forum attended by some housing experts, construction professionals, and subdivision developers to discuss valuable insights on the housing industry’s best practices.
The objective of the forum was to discuss the benefits and challenges of alternative construction methods in the pursuit of building sustainable, affordable, and accessible housing in the Bangsamoro region.
With these developments, MHSD expressed optimism that the Bangsamoro government, along with other partners, can build a future where every Bangsamoro has a place to call home that is built on principles of hope, justice, and innovation. (LTB — PIA Cotabato City)
