DSWD conducts validation, profiling of ex-MILF combatants for gov't housing aid eligibility
By Sonny Daanoy
The Department of Social Welfare and Development’s (DSWD) Field Office 12 (Soccsksargen) is conducting validation and profiling of qualified former Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) combatants for the Shelter Assistance Program of the National Housing Authority (NHA).

This initiative, which started on June 9 and continued until June 25, is in coordination with the Office of the Presidential Adviser on Peace, Reconciliation, and Unity (OPAPRU) and is in line with the continuing effort to support the peace and development agenda of the Marcos administration.
DSWD Undersecretary for Inclusive-Sustainable Peace and Special Concerns (ISPSC) Alan Tanjusay underscored that the validation and profiling activity intends to assess the eligibility and qualification of more than 350 members of the MILF from Maguindanao and Lanao del Sur for the government’s housing assistance project.
“The shelter assistance program is in line with the socio-economic development component of the normalization process for the MILF decommissioned combatants and their communities,” Tanjusay said.
Tanjusay, who also oversees the agency's peace and development initiatives, explained that normalization is a key component of the 2014 Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro (CAB).
This agreement, made between the Government of the Philippines and the MILF, aims to help conflict-affected communities regain stability.
The goal is for these communities to achieve a quality of life that includes sustainable livelihoods and active political participation within a peaceful and deliberative society.
As part of the Task Force for Decommissioned Combatants and Their Communities (TFDCC), the DSWD added 30 staff members from Field Office 12’s Normalization Program Team.
They were joined by personnel from the NHA and the Joint Task Force for Camps Transformation (JTFCT).
The NHA is the only national agency responsible for housing production for low-income families. Its origins trace back to the People’s Homesite Corporation (PHC), the first government housing agency, established in 1938.
Furthermore, the groundbreaking and initial housing settlements are expected to be constructed this year in Camp Abubakar in Barira, Maguindanao, and Camp Bilal in Munai, Lanao del Sur.
Similar housing projects will also be built in other MILF camps.