Finally home: Informal settler finds permanent roof

By Bangsamoro Information Office on January 23, 2026. Category: Story of Change.

Housing programs in the country reflect the broader struggle for social equity. While some Filipinos can afford to own houses through their own means, others strive merely to build an abode they can call home. At its core, a home goes far beyond walls and a roof — it is where family ties are nurtured, love is cultivated, and a sense of comfort and belonging is felt.

Amid rapid urbanization and persistent poverty, many Filipinos continue to persevere and assert their basic right to shelter. As a result, informal settlements — commonly referred to as "squatter communities" — have expanded and become a visible reality in many urbanized areas.

Fatima Palanan, 33, a housewife and mother of six children in Cotabato City, shared how the regional government partnered with the city local government unit (LGU) to provide her family a place to call home following years of being an informal settler, struggling to make ends meet.

On Oct. 16, the regional government’s Kapayapaan sa Pamayanan (KAPYANAN), in partnership with the Cotabato City LGU, inaugurated 100 free core shelters in this city for recipient Bangsamoro families, among which is Palanan’s.

Palanan described how she first became distraught upon learning of their house’s demolition in this city’s Rosary Heights X.

“Noong una, masakit para sa amin na umalis dahil sa mga memories namin doon. Since teenager pa ako, doon na ako nakatira — doon na nag-aral, lumaki at nagkapamilya,” Palanan stated.

“Nabanggit sa amin na may relocation site kaso di pa namin alam noon kung saan [...] Ilang beses na nasabi samin ang pag-demolish ng bahay namin pero ngayon lang sya naging official,” she added.

Palanan was among the “less fortunate” Bangsamoro families in RH 10 who benefited from the government’s housing initiative, ending their decades-long life as informal settlers.

As defined, informal settlers, commonly referred to as squatters, are individuals or groups that reside in shelters constructed on property they do not legally own.

Through the successful initial turnover of the housing units, these families now live in their new homes, equipped with solar-powered lights and water system components.

“Happy kami dahil hindi kami binasta-basta lang ng ating mahal na mayor at ng Bangsamoro Government. Binigyan kami ng magandang bahay nang libre,” Palanan mentioned.

“May instances na ang ibang nadi-demolish ay dumidepende nalang sa isang LGU kung bibigyan pa ba sila ng bahay o hindi. Ang mini-make sure lang ay may relocation site lang. Kaya napakaswerte namin kasi may sarili kaming bahay at lupa. Alhamdulillah (Praise be to Allah),” she shared.

“Subla i kapya nin (We are very grateful), Alhamdulillah,” she stressed, reiterating her words of gratitude, especially on how helpful the project is to her family.

As of Dec. 2025, the Bangsamoro Government, through its KAPYANAN, has already turned over a total of 2,585 free housing units to indigent Bangsamoro families since the region’s inception seven years ago.

These were funded under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) 2019, Bangsamoro Appropriations Act (BAA) 2020, and the General Appropriations Act of the Bangsamoro (GAAB) 2021 and 2022.

Palanan stated that she is now at ease after the turnover, saying, “Malaking tulong ito sa pamilya ko kasi marami na rin ang mga anak ko.”

“Pakalenek su ginawa ta, lalu den a di ta den ma-demolish, ka lekita den i walay endu lupa. Da den bedsimuket sa utek ta,” she continued.

[I will not worry about our house getting demolished because we now own the house and the lot. Nothing will bother me anymore.]

She urged the other Bangsamoro informal settlers to keep their faith as the interventions of the government are underway.

“Di silan kawan a pag-asa. Upama mayaba sa lekitanu a squatters, di tanu bembasta bastan na mayor tanu endu Bangsamoro Government. Bagenggan tanu nilan sa proper relocation site. In Shaa Allah a mamakakwa langun,” Palanan hoped.

[They shall not lose hope. For squatters like us, the Bangsamoro Government and our mayor put our welfare at the forefront of service delivery. They provide us with a relocation site. If Allah wills it, every Bangsamoro will receive one.]

She also expressed her thanks to the key actors — the KAPYANAN and the City LGU — for their steadfast dedication to uplifting the lives of the Cotabateños and the Bangsamoro in general.

Palanan gets emotional as she expresses her gratitude to the Bangsamoro Government and the Cotabato City LGU for the turnover of free core shelters in the city. (Michael Camsa/BIO)

“Shukraan kay Mayor Mohammad ‘Bruce’ Matabalo at sa KAPYANAN sa binigay nilang magandang bahay. Sobra sobra na itong blessing,” she mentioned.

KAPYANAN is a special program of the Office of the Chief Minister (OCM) that aims to provide shelters and sustainable livelihood opportunities for indigent families across the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM).

Palanan’s success story manifests the continuous efforts of the Bangsamoro Government, centering on achieving an empowered, cohesive, and progressive autonomous region.

She may have closed a chapter of her life as she bids her farewell to her former residence; however, she and her family now have a place to call home, with its doors finally staying open, leaving their worries and past behind. (Johamin Inok/BIO)