In line with the continuing effort to support the peace and development agenda of the Marcos administration, the Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Field Office 12 (SOCCSKSARGEN) is conducting validation and profiling of qualified former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants for the Shelter Assistance Program of the National Housing Authority (NHA).
DSWD Undersecretary for Inclusive-Sustainable Peace and Special Concerns (ISPSC) Alan Tanjusay, who also handles the peace and development efforts of the agency, said the validation and profiling activity intends to assess the eligibility and qualification of more than 350 members of the MILF from Maguindanao and Lanao del Norte for the government’s housing assistance project.
“The shelter assistance program is in line with the socio-economic development component of the normalization process for the MILF decommissioned combatants and their communities,” Undersecretary Tanjusay said in his message.
The DSWD official explained that the normalization is part of the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB) between the Government of the Philippines and the MILF which aims for conflict-affected communities to “return to conditions where they can achieve their desired quality of life, that includes the pursuit of sustainable livelihoods and political participation within a peaceful deliberative society.
As part of the Task Force for Decommissioned Combatants and Their Communities (TFDCC), the DSWD augmented 30 staff from the Field Office 12’s Normalization Program Team who were joined by the personnel from the NHA and Joint Task Force for Camps Transformation (JTFCT).
The groundbreaking and initial housing settlements are expected to be constructed this year in Camp Abubakar in Barira, Maguindanao, and Camp Bilal in Munai, Lanao del Sur. Similar housing projects shall also be built in other MILF camps.
The validation and profiling activity which started on June 9 until the 25th is in coordination with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU).#
