Five housing projects will be built for the indigenous peoples (IPs) communities in Mindanao, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) said Friday.

Some 250 IP families belonging to the Higaonon tribe in Northern Mindanao and the Caraga region will benefit from the Building Adequate, Livable, Affordable, and Inclusive Filipino communities (BALAI) program.

They are among IP communities cleared of the influence of communist terrorist groups.

DHSUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said the housing projects will be built in Barangay Kibanban, Balingasag town, and Barangay Minalwang, Claveria in Misamis Oriental; Barangay Kamagong, Nasipit and Barangay Bokbokan, Las Nieves, Agusan Del Norte; and Barangay Sinakungan, Esperanza, Agusan Del Sur.

He said he will make a request for five more villages to make it five for each region.

“The housing construction and land development are in line with the department’s mandate of providing Filipino families, most especially the underserved that includes IPs, access to decent, sustainable, resilient, and more affordable housing communities nationwide,” del Rosario said during the groundbreaking and inauguration ceremony of the project shared on social media.

“IPs will not be duped into joining the terrorist groups. These projects will ensure the safety of our IPs, keep them away from harm both natural and man-made,” he added.

Each housing location will have tribal halls while a multipurpose covered court will be included in Barangay Samay in Balingasag, Misamis Oriental.

Datu Cesar Asapon, the IP Mandatory Representative of Balingasag, said IP families now have chances of improving their way of living.

“It has been a challenge that IPs usually don’t have access to government programs, but now we were able to organize ourselves and be able to benefit what the government has to offer,” he said in the vernacular.

The launch of the Pamalihi IP Village in Sitio Eva, Barangay Samay was also graced by Philippine Army chief, Lt. Gen. Romeo Brawner Jr., and National Housing Authority officials.

DHSUD and the local government units will be supported by various stakeholders such as the 52nd Engineering Brigade of the Philippine Army, Technical Education, And Skills Development Authority, National Commission for Indigenous Peoples, and non-governmental organizations.

There were also housing projects launched recently for members of the Dumagat tribes in the provinces of Aurora and Nueva Ecija. (PNA)