A TOTAL of 240 siege-displaced families from the Sama Dilaut tribe return to their original and permanent home in sitio Hongkong in the village of Rio Hondo, Zamboanga City.
This came about as the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the City Government unveiled on Tuesday, May 9, their newly-constructed houses on stilts in line with the Zamboanga City Roadmap to Recovery and Reconstruction (Z3R) program.
Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar, who spearheaded the turnover rites together with NHA District Manager Al-khwarizmi Indanan, expressed elation that the Sama Dilauts are finally back in their permanent and original home since they were displaced when hundreds of Moro rebels stormed into the city in September 2013.
The project was originally not included in the Z3R but the concern for the seafaring Sama Dilauts prompted the city officials to lobby for its inclusion.
Indanan said that with the 240 houses on stilts turned over Tuesday, the total number of houses awarded to beneficiaries now reaches 4,000 out of the more than 6,000 housing units targeted for construction under the Z3R. (Bong Garcia/SunStar Philippines)