2 model houses for Marawi rehabilitation being built

LANAO DEL SUR — Army engineers are now constructing two houses as models for reproduction to shelter conflict-stricken residents of Marawi City.

Lt. Gen. Carlito Galvez, Jr. of the Western Mindanao Command told The STAR on Monday that the model houses are now being built in Barangay Sagongsongan in Marawi City by personnel of the 54th Engineer Brigade.

The construction of the model houses for residents from battle-torn villages is being assisted by engineers from the Department of Public Works and Highways-Region 10 led by Abdulracman Paunte.

The first of the two models is a steel structure with a 26-square-meter floor area that can accommodate at least two to three small families.

The other model is a 4x6-meter building made of lumber with an elevated floor and galvanized roofing.

"We are expecting these model houses to be fully constructed a week from now," Galvez said on Saturday morning.

The shelter project for evacuees, whose houses were either burned or destroyed as a consequence of the hostilities between Maute terrorists and the military, is part of Malacañang's post-conflict rehabilitation program for Marawi City.

Marawi City is the capital of Lanao del Sur, a component province of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.

The 11-hectare relocation area for the evacuees in Barangay Sagongsongan shall be divided into five housing sites, according to Galvez.

Paunte said each of the five areas have communal kitchens, comfort rooms and sites for laundry chores.

The 547th Engineering Battalion, a component unit of the 54th Engineer Brigade, transported its heavy equipment two weeks ago to Marawi City for the shelter project.

Galvez said the Marawi City Engineering Office and the provincial government of Lanao del Sur are helping them implement the project.