Vice President Jejomar C. Binay said 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 housing units to 2,000 Badjaos located along the shores of Barangay Nunucan and Mochton, Sibutu, Tawi-Tawi.

            Binay said the NHA will provide 100 stilt houses, foot bridges and a septic tank to the Indigenous Peoples Community (IPC) in Tawi-Tawi under the Sibutu Badjao Resettlement Program.

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

            qu The initial fund needs to be liquidated by the Local Government Unit (LGU) and subsequent releases will be subject to NHA’s evaluation of the LGU’s accomplishment reports.

            Binay said he hopes the site will be completed immediately as it may give way for more NHA projects in the area.

            Meanwhile, project implementation will be closely monitored by a Local Inter-Agency Committee (LIAC) headed by representatives from the LGU, OSCC-ARMM, NHA and the IP Community.

            The 100 houses on stilts are to be undertaken in five months, will be conveyed by NHA to the LGU upon completion and shall be awarded to the IP Community in coordination with the OSCC-ARMM.