The Department of Social Welfare and Development in Region 11 (DSWD-11) turned over 277 housing units to the residents of Purok Tent City, Barangay Dadong, Tarragona town, over the weekend.

In a statement Monday, DSWD-11 said the housing units, funded under the Modified Shelter Assistance Program (MSAP), are intended for areas affected by Typhoon Pablo that ravaged Davao Oriental and Davao de Oro in 2012.

Aldrin Carpio, president of the MSAP Beneficiaries Association, expressed gratitude to both DSWD and the local government unit for facilitating the project.

“We have long waited for this project since we have stayed in the temporary shelters after [typhoons] Pablo and Agaton damaged our homes,” he said in vernacular.

In his message during the turnover ceremony, Mayor Nestor Uy emphasized the important role of the beneficiaries in further improving and maintaining the housing units given to them.

“The project has experienced setbacks due to different factors, including the terrain of the area and the lack of potable water source. But now that the housing project is complete, I encourage the beneficiaries to take active participation in the improvement of their housing units and the community as an expression of gratitude. Do not forget that this is already yours,” Uy said.

Meanwhile, DSWD Assistant Secretary for Disaster Response Management Group Rodolfo Encabo assured the beneficiaries that the agency will continue to support the community.

“As to the water problem, I will be consulting with experts from Manila to study possible solutions. I will also confer the same to our other programs for possible funding under the KALAHI-CIDSS program,” he said. (PNA)