After series of significant activities this week, the Ministry of Human Settlements and Development of the BARMM held the ribbon cutting on April 8, 2021, for the opening of the MHSD Operations Center (OpCen), located along Bishop Mongeau Street, Rosary Heights 8, Cotabato City, few steps from its management building.

Minister Hamid Aminoddin D. Barra formally opened the ceremony by sharing stories and metaphors on the importance of teamwork, the need to be different, and the dedication to being the best. He then noted that the procurement and services delivered by the OpCen Building, where housing, policy development, and land use concerns can be addressed, are prime examples of the said efforts.

“To be different is always the best” Minister Barra said. “What we are doing now is different, that’s why we are becoming the best; we are not trying to compete with other ministries but we are delivering what is best for our clienteles”, he added.

Before welcoming the group, Chief of the Administrative and Finance Division Nomaire M. Madid likened the ministry to a ship, where a unified rowing motion must be performed in order for the vessel to move. He reminded the employees to work as one and be mindful of the direction the ministry takes, so as to make sure that the performance will not be hindered.

The OpCen Building’s procurement and ribbon-cutting ceremony were compliances to one of the many standards certified by the International Organization of Standardization (ISO), of which the ministry will be striving to meet henceforth, explained Chief Abdulhamid C. Alawi, Jr., of the Policy Development and Coordination Division.

As the final event of MHSD Week, the week-long celebration of human settlements and development held at every first week of April, the ribbon cutting featured the release of the Online Housing Application (OHA), an online database where prospective housing loan clients may create a profile and upload soft copies of their salient documents for immediate access.

The OHA website can be accessed here: https://loans.mhsd.bangsamoro.gov.ph