Homes for soldiers, cops in Maguindanao

MAGUINDANAO, Philippines – Soldiers and policemen assigned in the northern part of this province are the beneficiaries of a P365 million housing project to be built by a private entity.

The houses are to be built by the Bumbaran Development Corp. (BDC) in Barangay Sarmiento, Parang town in Maguindanao.

The project was launched last Wednesday by DBC representatives and officials of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao led by Gov. Mujiv Hataman and ARMM police director Chief Supt. Noel Delos Reyes.

The BDC, which is engaged in housing projects in Mindanao, is operating with an investment certificate issued by the ARMM’s Regional Board of Investment.

The BDC aims to construct 1,500 units of affordable homes for soldiers and policemen in Barangay Sarmiento.

Hataman said the project will also generate employment for some 700 carpenters, masons, electricians and plumbers whose skills will be needed in the construction of the houses.

As a special incentive, the ARMM government will grant BDC “tax holidays” and other technical assistance for allocating P365 million for the housing project.

Ibrahim Ibay, municipal mayor of Parang, said the housing project will also boost the economy of their municipality.

The ARMM’s regional police headquarters is located at Camp S.K. Pendatun about a kilometer west of the town proper of Parang.

On the other hand, the headquarters of the Philippine Army’s 603rd Brigade is in Barira town, also in Maguindanao.

“If there are 1,500 families of soldiers and policemen to reside in that housing project, vendors in our market and suppliers of rice will earn more, and more earnings by the business sector means additional tax collections by our local government unit,” Ibay said.