Happy homes to indigents as Ramadan begins

DAVAO CITY—IT would not a bleak one month of annual fasting for fifty indigent Moro families. They would celebrate their Ramadan in their new homes after the Bangsamoro government officially turned over 50 newlybuilt housing units in Simsiman, Pigcawayan Cluster on March 4.

Each unit has three bedrooms, a kitchen, living area, comfort room, and solar power. The housing project costs P27.8 million financed through the 2020

Special Development Fund (SDF). The SDF is an allocation for initiatives focused on “rebuilding, rehabilitation, and development of conflict-affected communities” from the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development (MHSD).

MHSD Minister Hamid Aminoddin Barra said the provision of the housing units is part of the regional government’s commitment to the Bangsamoro people.

The beneficiaries were selected from the 63 barangays of six towns of North Cotabato which opted to belong to the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (Barmm). These areas are collectively known as the Special Geographical Area.

“What we have achieved today including those other accomplishments of the regional government are breakthroughs in our governance,” said Senior Minister Abuna was Maslamama.

“We are thankful to the Bangsamoro Government for this project which solves one of our basic needs,”said 65-year-old Abdulsalam Eson, who lost his house during the war.

Eson used to live in a decent home before but due to the constantly transpiring war in their community before, he lost to a fire. Due to his age, he is no longer able to do physically exhausting errands for economic gain, hence building a home is almost next to impossible, according to the Barmm Information Office.

Abdulsalam’s plight is almost the same to 48-year-old Myra Engkungan, who sold her house in order to finance the hospitalization of a family member.

“It was a hard decision but that was the only way we know back then to settle the hospital bill,” Engkungan shared.

According to her, hospitalization in the past was considered a luxury since not everyone could afford it, unlike today when the Bangsamoro Government is infusing funds for medical programs that provide medical assistance, free medicine, and other related services.

“With our new home, we no longer have to share house with our kins,” she said.