The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) has bolstered its pro-poor initiatives by distributing 50 housing units to vulnerable families in Sultan sa Barongis, Maguindanao del Sur, officials said Wednesday.

“This is the BARMM government’s commitment to improving living conditions for its people,” said Abdul Mohaimin Pasigan, a staff member of the BARMM’s Office of the Chief Minister, in a statement.

Pasigan, representing BARMM Chief Minister Ahod Ebrahim, and Engr. Anwarodin Tumagantang, chief of the Kapayapaan Sa Pamayanan (KAPYANAN) Project, led the ceremonial turnover of the housing units in Barangay Masulot on Tuesday afternoon.

KAPYANAN, a flagship project of the Office of the Chief Minister, aims to provide decent housing for the poorest families, internally displaced persons, former Moro rebels, Indigenous peoples, and other marginalized groups.

Teng Sandigan, one of the recipients, expressed overwhelming gratitude during the turnover ceremony.

“Thank you, BARMM government. I thought you had forgotten us. I was wrong,” Sandigan told the BARMM Information Office (BIO) in an interview.

Each housing unit measures seven by seven meters and includes a kitchen, living area, comfort room, three bedrooms, and a small balcony, complete with electricity and water systems.

To ensure legal ownership, recipients were awarded Certificates of Ownership and Certificates of Agreement from KAPYANAN.

Pasigan said more housing units will be distributed to indigent families across the region in the coming days. (PNA)