Soliman: We respect Lumad’s rejection of housing proposal

MANILA, Philippines – The government respects the Lumads’ rejection of the proposed construction of temporary transitional shelters for them in Surigao del Sur, Social Welfare Secretary Corazon “Dinky” Soliman said on Saturday, October 10.

Soliman said in a statement that the decision was apparently reached after community leaders presented the proposal of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) to their constituents. She said she had earler asked the  leaders to do this to get their constituents’ opinion on the proposal.

“I have learned that they refused the proposal and we respect that. We will take the lead from the local government unit and from the community leaders on what else can be done to ensure that their daily needs are met and their safety is not compromised,” she said.

Soliman proposed the transitional shelters as an “interim solution” while peace is yet to be achieved in the area. She clarified that her department does not intend to remove Lumads from their ancestral land.

“The proposal for setting up temporary transitional shelters in Tandag, where the governor would look for a place for these, is based on our experience of the Zamboanga crisis. Just like in Zamboanga, where hundreds of evacuees stayed at the city’s grandstand, staying in in the sports complex is a big humanitarian risk as it is not constructed for resettlement,” Soliman explained.

She said the proposal was the DSWD’s offered temporary solution to the problems faced by displaced persons in evacuation centers.

“It came to my attention that many Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) were complaining about their deplorable condition in the evacuation centers, and I meant well when I proposed that they may transfer into safer and more comfortable place,” Soliman said. – Rappler.com