In demonstration of its commitment to furthering the country’s shelter and settlements status,
the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development, the Housing Arm of the BARMM, served as one of the main organizers of this year’s Asia Pacific Shelter and Settlements Forum (APSSF) 2024, held at the Heritage Hotel Manila, Pasay City, Metro Manila, on October 21, and kicked off the first day with a keynote message from Minister Atty. Hamid Aminoddin D. Barra, presentation from Bangsamoro Director General Esmael W. Ebrahim, and panel discussion with Director II for Technical and Regulatory Services (TRS) Suharto S. Wahab, EnP, REA, REB. .
Minister Barra began his message by correlating the significance of collaboration with a verse from Surat Al-Ma’idah, stating “Help one another in righteousness and piety, but help not one another in sin and enmity; be conscious of God, for God is severe in punishment.”
“As we gather under the theme: ‘Building toward inclusive and resilient homes and communities,’ we are reminded that housing is not just providing shelter. It is about creating spaces where dignity, security and opportunity flourish,” he said.
Meanwhile, BDG Ebrahim presented the BARMM Shelter Programs, highlighting the 316,942 housing needs in the region as of January, 2024, and for which, the MHSD has implemented over 4,000 housing units under its resettlement projects in its five years of operation. He also shared that 19,817 housing units have been implemented by the KAPYANAN Project Management Office and other resettlement housing programs of the BARMM government.
Programs to address these needs, he emphasized, could not have been possible without the support of the BARMM Government led by Chief Minister Ahod B. Ebrahim and the assistance from national agencies like the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and development partners such as the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) that also served as co-organizers of the international forum.
Dir. Wahab then served as one of the panelists for Partnership for Effective Preparedness and Response, along with Jonas Tetangco, CRS Country Representative, Joseph Curry, Regional Advisor, US Agency for International Development–Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance and Edmar Tambis, Municipal Planning and Development Chief, LGU-Tomas Oppusin Southern Leyte.
“We are gathered here today, not just as the representative of our respective organizations, but as a united community dedicated to tackling some of the most pressing challenges in shelters and resettlements across the Asia-Pacific region,” said Hon. Jose Rizalino L. Acuzar, Secretary, DHSUD.
Sanjeev Hada, Associate Director–Program Operations, Habitat for Humanity International, explained in his keynote message that the APSSF serves as a platform for shelter practitioners to share knowledge, lessons, challenges and innovations to better understand shelter and settlements practices in the region.
Keynote messages were also shared by Michelle Ryan, Regional Director, CRS-Asia, Seki Hirano, Global Shelter Cluster and Co-Lead for United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Hon. Arjun Kumar Bam, Joint Secretary, National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority–Nepal, Hon. Khalid M. Shaikh, Secretary, Sindh Government and Chief Executive Officer, Sindh People’s Housing for Flood Affectees, after participants were welcomed by Hon. Emi Calixto-Rubiano, Pasay City Mayor, through Margarita G. Ignacio, Head of the Urban Development and Housing Office.
The APSSF 2024 is also in observance of the National Shelter Month it continued until October 22, with breakout sessions featuring 14 topics on the development and effective management of shelter and settlements.
