LAMITAN CITY, Basilan Province — The Ministry of Public Works revealed that it has already kicked off the construction of P550 million worth of core shelter housing units for the homeless mujahedeen of the Moro Islamic Liberation Front and Moro National Liberation Front in the province.
MPW Basilan District Engineer Kasim Hasanin said that the housing program is being funded under the Kapayapaan sa Pamayanan — a special program of Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao Chief Minister Ahod B. Ebrahim.
Hasanin said the program aims to provide decent housing units to poor Bangsamoro communities and victims of armed conflicts in the province in the past decades and will be implemented by the
MPW-Basilan district office.
He added that most areas where the core shelter will be constructed are areas considered as battle zones located in the towns of Al-Barka, Hadji Mohammad Ajul, Lamitan City, Tipo-Tipo, Ungkaya Pukan, Lantawan, Tabuan-Lasa, Tuburan, Akbar, Hadji Muhtamad and Maluso.
Each housing unit will sit on a 200 square meters lot and will have a 42 square meters floor area consisting of three bedrooms, a sala, comfort room, a kitchen and a terrace.
Hasanin said that they have in their possession a total of about 250 more fabricated housing sections and materials, ready to be used in the construction of a core shelter home.
“For now, we are just waiting for the fabricator of the materials that we will use in the construction of the housing unit,” Hasanin said.
“All materials of the housing units are made of steel and bolted, like the walling and the roofing to make sure it will last for several years,” he added.
A total of 50 core shelter houses will be constructed for every one hectare of donated lot to the MPW.