2,340 shelters to be built for displaced Maguindanao folk

MANILA, Philippines - The government’s Payapa at Masaganang Pamayanan (Pamana) program turned over the other day to the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) a check worth P62 million for the construction of the 2,340 shelters for internally displaced persons (IDPs) in Maguindanao.

Presidential Adviser on the Peace Process Teresita Deles turned the check to newly installed ARMM officer-in-charge Vice Gov. Baino Karon, who represented OIC Gov. Mujiv Hataman, in a simple ceremony at Deles’ office in Pasig City.

The turnover was witnessed by Governors Mamintal Adiong Jr. (Lanao del Sur), Abdusakur Tan (Sulu), Sadikul Sahali (Tawi-Tawi) and Jun Akbar (Basilan), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD)-ARMM Assistant Secretary Pombaen Kader, OPAPP Undersecretary Dimasangcay Pundato, Undersecretaries Louie Montalbo and Gettie Sandoval, Assistant Secretaries Howard Cafugauan, Jehanne Mutin and Romie Halabaso, and Director Susan Marcaida.

Deles said a total of 2,340 shelters will be constructed for families displaced by armed skirmishes between government forces and lawless elements led by Moro rebel commanders Ameril Umbra Kato and Bravo after the aborted signing of the memorandum of agreement on ancestral domain in August 2008.

She said the shelters are expected to be completed within four months in five municipalities, namely Talayan, Datu Anggal Midtimbang, Datu Piang, Datu Saudi Ampatuan, and Datu Salibo.

The IDP Shelter Assistance Project, which provides basic housing facilities to displaced families in conflict-affected areas, is a project under Pillar 1 of the Pamana program.

Pamana is the government’s peace and development framework that seeks to reduce poverty, improve governance and empower communities through community-driven projects that address the people’s needs and also promote peace.

To achieve peace, Deles said it should first be won on the ground.

“The government is sincerely committed to winning peace, not only on the peace negotiating table, but also on the ground, especially in conflict-affected communities, in order for them to have a stake in sustaining peace,” Deles said.

For his part, Maguindanao peace and development officer Dave Utto, who represented Gov. Esmael Mangudadatu, lauded President Aquino for being “serious and dedicated in advancing peace and development in the ARMM.”

“Peace-building efforts and development programs of the national government and the local government which are experienced by the people in our province are big blessings. They promote the welfare of the Bangsamoro,” Utto said.

The OPAPP serves as the oversight agency of the Pamana program, while the departments of Social Welfare and Development, Interior and Local Government, and Agrarian Reform are the implementing agencies.

To uphold transparency and accountability, civil society groups monitor the implementation of Pamana projects.

For the IDP Shelter Assistance Project, the government has tapped the Institute for Autonomy and Governance as its third-party monitor.

The contractor for the Maguindanao shelters is the Kilusang Magkaibigan Multi-purpose Cooperative.