JOLO, Sulu — The Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) — through its Ministry of Human Settlement and Development (MHSD) — has handed over about P63.3 million in infrastructure projects to its beneficiaries in Indanan, Sulu.
MHSD-BARMM director general Esmael Ebrahim on Sunday said that the the projects, which included three training centers and 50 housing units, were turned over to their beneficiaries last 5 November 2024.
Ebrahim said the projects were aimed at improving the quality of life of the Tausug people in the province and are a sacred trust or “Amanah” to the people of Sulu.
Member of Parliament (MP) Adzfar Usman, under his Transitional Development Impact Fund (TDIF) 2021, funded the construction of a two-story Human Development Training Center (HDTC) worth P14,264,054 in Barangay Kajatian and another in Barangay Pasil worth P7,326,812.
They were turned over to their respective Barangay Local Government Units of Indanan, Ebrahim said.
Another one-story Multi-Purpose HDTC worth P8,480,547.56 under TDIF 2022 of MP Atty. Jose Lorena was also turned over to Mindanao State University.
About 50 housing units worth P32,230,000 were given to beneficiaries at Tubig Dakulah, Indanan, as part of MHSD’s resettlement project.
According to MHSD, a total of 250 housing units have already been turned over to beneficiaries, and 250 units are still under construction.
Ebrahim stressed that the newly turned-over structures are a sacred trust or “Amanah” to the Bangsamoro people, funded by their taxes, ensuring continued support for Bangsamoro’s development.
“We’re not just accountable to those proponents but also to the people of the Philippines because the ‘block grant’ that is given to BARMM is from the taxes of every Filipino,” Ebrahim said.
MHSD-BARMM Technical and Regulatory Director II Suharto Wahab also stressed that the center is a trust; thus, he hopes for the continuing support of the Municipal Local Government of Indanan in nurturing young minds through the training center.
“This isn’t just a building; it’s a trust. We hope the local government of Indanan will keep supporting MP’s mission to educate and nurture our young people through this training center,” Wahab said.