Saturday, May 24, 2008 [ manilatimes.net ]
Wao, Lanao del Sur: Philippine National Police (PNP) Deputy Director Gen. Jesus A. Verzosa on Wednesday lauded Gawad Kalinga for building a 30-unit housing project for former Muslim rebels in the province of Lanao del Sur.
“Gawad Kalinga’s generosity has reached our brothers in Wao, Lanao del Sur. This is a big step towards the government’s peace-building efforts in Mindanao,” Verzosa, the chairman of the PNP Housing Board, said in a statement.
Verzosa said police and military personnel helped in the construction of other Gawad Kalinga housing projects in Mindanao.
Last year, Gawad Kalinga also built housing projects in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao; Camp Abubakar, Shariff Kabunsuan; and Kapatagan, Lanao del Norte.
Verzosa also thanked Gawad Kalinga and other shelter agencies for building housing projects for homeless police officers.
“Gawad Kalinga has been our partner in building houses for our personnel. They provide us decent housing. In the process of building houses, they also build lives,” Verzosa said.
Tony Meloto, the man behind the Gawad Kalinga movement, in a statement expressed appreciation for “the relentless efforts of the high-spirited volunteers, who worked hard and sweated in building a village where Christian and Muslims co-exist in peace and harmony.”
“The more we sweat for peace, the lesser we bleed for war,” he stressed.
Meloto, the 2006 Ramon Magsaysay Awardee for community leadership, underscored the aim of Gawad Kalinga in providing shelter, “So that the villagers will become self-sufficient while living in a peaceful, healthy and clean environment.”
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