74 displaced families get houses

COTABATO CITY, Philippines — Up to 74 Muslim families displaced by armed conflicts will be relocated in a village established by the Bangsamoro regional government.

Local officials in Ampatuan, Maguindanao del Sur said the family-beneficiaries would settle in new houses built in Barangay Salman.

The houses were built by the Ministry of Social Services and Development of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The houses are located near the beneficiaries’ farms, where they source their livelihood.

Barangay officials said the houses were turned over by the regional government to the beneficiaries on April 30.

Relocation will start as soon as works on water and power connections are completed.

Raissa Jajurie, BARMM social services minister, thanked the municipal government of Ampatuan for donating the property where the housing units have been constructed.

“This housing project is for families that have suffered a lot from recurrent displacement due to peace and security issues,” Jajurie said.

Norhaya Alim, one of the beneficiaries of the housing project, said they now have a decent home. She said her family had been moving from one barangay to another in the past two decades due to armed clashes.