DAVAO CITY- One- hundred sixteen personnel from Police Regional Office (PRO) 11 were sent to Talaingod, Davao del Norte as part of the Bayanihan troops who will build houses for the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in Sitio Tibucag in the said town on Thursday.

PRO 11 Deputy Regional Director for Operations Colonel Edgar Alan Okubo said the provincial government of Davao del Norte through Governor Edwin Jubahib requested the Regional Philippine National Police (PNP) to help them construct 24 bungalow houses in its desire to end the insurgency problem.

He said the project aims to entice the Lumads who believe in the wrong ideology of the communist group to return to the folds of the law and support the government.

Aside from their firearms, they are also armed with hammers, wood saws, shovels, crowbar and other construction and masonry tools to build the houses.

The construction is expected to complete by the second week of December this year.

PRO 11 director Brigadier General Filmore Escobal, meanwhile, urged the troops to show their selfless and untiring obligation towards the people as well as to reach out and make them aware of the good plans and programs of the government and to let the people feel that government is using all means to reach them.

Jubahib, for his part, expressed his gratitude to PRO 11 for the support extended to his province as he vowed to support all the programs and projects of the PNP.

He also thanked the troops for taking part in this noble project as this will have a lasting impact on the IP community and to win against insurgency. Ruth Palo/News Fort