Marawi evacuees to get homes by yearend, says gaming group

Family members share a meal as they return to check on their home in war-torn Marawi City in the last week of October after the government declared the end of the five-month war against terrorists. —JEOFFREY MAITEM

The journey to fresh hope and new beginning starts for hundreds of families displaced by a five-month war in Marawi City as they move in to newly-constructed temporary shelters in Matungao, Lanao del Norte, on December 10.

Named “Bakwit Village”, the three-hectare community featuring 16 to 18-square-meter modular units and houses made of light wooden materials, was built by the Philippine Offshore Gaming Operators (POGO) Group in partnership with the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation (PAGCOR).

In a statement issued Saturday, POGO said the recipients were identified by representatives of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) assigned to various evacuation centers.

The first phase of the project, composed of 300 housing units, will be awarded to families who were forced to flee Marawi City and lost their homes when fighting erupted between government forces and the ISIS-inspired Maute terrorist group in May this year.

Scheduled to be turned over by the first quarter of 2018 is an additional 320 units, 50 of which will be utilized as commercial spaces for livelihood purposes.

More than P124 million was allocated for the construction of the housing units, which costs P200,000 each. The turnover of the shelters will be handled by the local government unit of Marawi City.

Meanwhile, in support of President Duterte’s efforts to rehabilitate Marawi City, the POGO Group also donated funds to help in the repair of mosques and Catholic churches that were destroyed during the war.