Fifty indigent Moro families in Maguindanao del Norte now have homes of their own, thanks to a housing project spearheaded by the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development-Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MHSD-BARMM).

The housing units, which include solar power and water systems, were turned over on Sunday in Barangay Nabalawag, Barira. Each unit, valued at PHP406,254, is part of a project that cost over PHP20.3 million.

Recipients of the homes expressed gratitude for the development, a first for their community. One beneficiary, Hassana Balitoc, shared the emotional reaction of fellow recipients, saying the initiative has eased their worries about housing and allowed them to focus on their livelihoods.

“When I told a fellow beneficiary that he could already move in, he became emotional, saying that without the BARMM government, he would never have a home in his lifetime,” Balitoc said, quoting the Bangsamoro Information Office.

MHSD Minister Atty. Hamid Aminoddin Barra said the project, funded under the General Appropriations Act of the Bangsamoro (GAAB) 2021, is part of the MHSD Resettlement Housing Program. The program provides free housing units with water systems, solar lights, access roads, and livelihood support in coordination with partner agencies.

In addition to indigent families, beneficiaries included former combatants of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) and Moro National Liberation Front (MNLF), as well as survivors of natural disasters, armed conflicts, and internally displaced persons.

“These housing projects are the fruits of the decades-long struggle of the Bangsamoro people and the peace agreement in Mindanao,” Barra said, emphasizing that more projects are in the pipeline.

MHSD Director-General Esmael Ebrahim announced plans for an additional 100 housing units, along with 150 more units from the National Housing Authority (NHA). The agency is also constructing 100 units for each of the six transformed MILF camps across the region.

On the same day, MHSD broke ground for the construction of 25 additional housing units in the region’s Special Geographic Area (SGA), aimed at assisting Moro families living near marshlands.

Since BARMM’s establishment in 2019, MHSD has completed over 1,000 housing units, with approximately 4,000 more under construction throughout the region. (PNA)