Fourteen newly-completed barangay halls were turned over Friday by the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to their respective village beneficiaries here.

The village chairmen of the recipient barangays received the facilities during a ceremonial ribbon-cutting in Barangay Sto Niño.

The recipient villages are Saguing, Rodero, Luayon, Sto Niño, Garsika, Buhay, Concepcion, Bato, Batasan, Villaflores, Leboce, Kawayanon, Indangan, and Buenavida.

The barangay halls of the beneficiaries were among those severely damaged when a magnitude 6.9 quake struck the province in 2019.

The construction of the barangay halls costs PHP42 million funded under the OCD – Comprehensive Aid for the Repair of Earthquake Damage (CARED) Fund.

Mayor Armando M. Quibod expressed his appreciation for national and local officials who were instrumental in the implementation of the project.

“I want to thank former president Rodrigo R. Duterte and Senator Christopher Lawrence Go for granting this project as part of our rehabilitation efforts following the quake that struck the province in October 2019,” he said.

Quibod also lauded former OCD-Soccsksargen Director Minda Morante for facilitating the project.

Morante, who attended the event, pledged to further support any development initiative as a private individual.

The structure has a common design to house personnel, consisting of a waiting area; a designated office of the barangay chairman and staff; and a session hall. (PNA)