At least 30 families from the Mamanwa Indigenous People (IP) community in San Francisco town, Surigao del Norte, are beneficiaries of housing units from the National Housing Authority in the Caraga Region (NHA-13).

“The program aims to provide housing assistance to IP communities to improve their living conditions through the provision of decent shelter,” NHA-13 Regional Manager Erasme Madlos said in a statement Thursday.

The new shelters were handed Wednesday to the IP recipients in Barangay Magtangale, as witnessed by San Francisco Mayor Val Pinat and NHA Surigao District Office head Ikmat Inono Bantuas.

“The IPs are among the priority sectors served by the national government through the NHA,” Madlos said, as he urged the beneficiaries to take care of the units they received.

Meanwhile, Pinat hopes that more housing units will be established at IP communities in San Francisco.

“The local government will work with the NHA, especially in the process of documentation for the continued housing projects for our IP communities,” he assured.

Bae Laid, the village chief, lauded the continued efforts of the government to help the indigenous communities in San Francisco.

The construction of the housing units was implemented under the Housing Assistance Program for the Indigenous Cultural Communities/Indigenous Peoples Program of the agency. (PNA)