75 IP families in Cotabato town flee homes amid strong winds of Kristine

Indigenous peoples (IP) belonging to the Obo Manobo tribe evacuate their homes in Barangay Libertad, Arakan, Cotabato, as strong winds brought about by the tail-end of Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami) destroyed the roofings of their houses on Tuesday afternoon, October 22, 2024. INQUIRER FILES

KIDAPAWAN CITY — Indigenous peoples (IP) belonging to the Obo Manobo tribe evacuated their homes in Barangay Libertad, Arakan, Cotabato, after strong winds brought about by the tail-end of Tropical Storm Kristine (international name: Trami) destroyed the roofings of their houses on Tuesday afternoon.

The IP families were all beneficiaries of the housing project by the National Housing Authority (NHA) in Arakan town.

An IP elder who lived in the area said he saw the roofs of at least two houses flown by strong winds, prompting the 75 families (145 individuals) living in the government’s housing project to leave and take shelter in the nearby Libertad Elementary School.

“They feared that the roofings of the rest of the houses might also give way since the strong winds persisted last night,” the Obo Manobo elder, who asked not to be named, told the Inquirer.

READ: Cavite under state of calamity as Kristine whips province

The NHA just awarded 75 housing units last September 30 to the Obo Manobo families displaced and rendered homeless by the earthquake that hit their village and wrought destruction in Cotabato province in 2019.

Classes at Arakan town’s Libertad Elementary School have been suspended until Friday, Oct. 25, to accommodate the IP evacuees while the local government unit of Arakan and the NHA in Cotabato province checked the stability and integrity of the housing units.

However, the displaced IP families were worried about where to stay once classes resume on Monday, Oct. 28.

Personnel of the Municipal Social Welfare and Development Office (MSWDO) have distributed food packs to the evacuees but said the supply could only last two days.

READ: Signal No. 2 still up over Metro Manila, 24 other areas amid Kristine

Some IP children and elderly reported to be suffering from colds and coughs as the cold weather persisted and most of them were not used to sleeping on the concrete floors of the classrooms.

NHA officials in the region were scheduled to visit the relocation site.

NHA-12 Director Zenaida Cabiles said the contractor of the housing project would still be liable to repair the damaged houses as these were still covered by the one-year prescribed warranty after the project’s turnover last month.

“We will coordinate with the contractor for the immediate repair of the damaged houses so that the beneficiaries can return to their respective homes,” Cabiles said.

Arakan town’s disaster personnel were not yet allowed to the area on Wednesday, Oct. 23, as they were checking whether the roads leading to the housing project site still needed to be cleared.