500 housing units for B’laan tribe

KORONADAL CITY—At least 500 housing units built by the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) were inaugurated for a B’laan community in Barangay Danlag in Tampakan, South Cotabato, over the weekend.

The religious group, which is implementing an antipovery campaign, also launched an eco-farming project and opened a garment factory in the village.

INC executive minister Bro. Eduardo V. Manalo, who officiated in a special worship service, also led the conduct of medical and dental missions for members of the B’laan tribe in the town.

A total of 15,000 food packs, 15,000 pairs of shoes, 15,000 pieces of clothing and 5,000 toys were distributed to the beneficiaries of the housing units, who all belong to the B’laan tribe.

INC general auditor Glicerio Santos Jr. said INC was one with President-elect Rodrigo Duterte and all other religious groups in fighting poverty, which he described as a common enemy that should be fought everywhere, especially in Mindanao.

INC endorsed Duterte in the May 9 elections.

“Our objective in the Lingap projects is two-fold: to provide spiritual enrichment and material assistance,” Santos said in a statement.

“For the church, the most effective way to address the prevalent poverty around us is to meet it head on. If greed is one of poverty’s root causes, generosity is one of its cures, and INC is blessed with the resources and will to provide assistance where it’s needed,” Santos said.

He said the livelihood assistance that INC had been providing did not only benefit church members but other recipients, including those from the indigenous communities. Allan Nawal, Inquirer Mindanao