AT least 2,000 Badjaos dwelling along the shores of Brgy. Nunucan and Mochton, in Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi province were given housing units by the government, Vice President Jejomar Binay said on Friday.

The National Housing Authority (NHA), the Office for Southern Cultural Communities-Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (OSCC-ARMM) and the local government of Sibutu had joined forces to provide the housing units to the beneficiaries.

Binay said that the Housing authority will provide 100 stilt houses, foot bridges and a septic tank to the indigenous peoples (IPs) community in Tawi-Tawi under the Sibutu Badjao Resettlement Program.

Lawyer Chito Cruz, NHA general manager, led the ceremonial turnover of the initial P5-million check out of the P10 million fund to Mayor Kuyoh Pajiji Al Haj of Sibutu for the project.

The initial fund needs to be liquidated by the local government unit and subsequent releases will be subject to the Housing authority’s evaluation of the government agencies’ accomplishment reports.

Binay, who is also the housing czar said that he hopes the site will be completed immediately as it may
give way for more housing projects in the area.

Meanwhile, project implementation will be closely monitored by a Local Inter-Agency Committee headed by representatives from local government agencies, OSCC-ARMM, the Housing authority and the indigenous peoples community.

The 100 houses on stilts are to be undertaken in five months, will be conveyed by Housing authority to local government agencies upon completion and shall be awarded to the IPs in coordination with the OSCC-ARMM.