NEW HOUSE. A family in Catbalogan City, Samar poses outside their new house, which was constructed by policemen. The initiative has built 29 houses for poor families in Samar, Col. Glenn Oliver Cinco, former Samar Police director, said on Friday (Nov. 19, 2021).(PNA photo by Roel Amazona) CATBALOGAN CITY, Samar - The Samar Police simultaneously turned over on Friday several low-cost housing units to 29 families from two cities and 24 towns in Samar province. Col. Glenn Oliver Cinco, who just left his post as Samar Police director, said they built houses made of wood and corrugated sheets and with a room seeking to provide private space for young girls. "We launched this project last August since we have received reports that some young girls from poor families suffer abuses inside their respective houses," Cinco, who now heads the regional mobile force battalion, told reporters. Col. Peter Limbauan, the new provincial police director, said this initiative for poor residents would help boost the people's trust and confidence in policemen. "This is beyond our mandate but we have the social responsibility to help others, especially the less privileged," Limbauan added. The provincial police office has allotted more than PHP2 million for the construction of the houses. The amount came from the savings of police units in Samar and donations from government offices, among them the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and local government officials, as well as the private sector. Policemen and private partners, such as the Alpha Phi Omega Theta Alpha Chapter in Catbalogan City, built the houses. In some areas, they were assisted by the Philippine Army in constructing the houses. Marianita Batiquin, a widow from the island town of Sto. Nino, thanked the policemen for building a house for them as they have no means to build one. Batiquin supports her three children by selling vegetables and shellfish. "Without this new house, we still have to take shelter in a pig's pen. This is really a big help to us," she said. Witnessing the turnover rites were key officials of the provincial social welfare and environment offices, as well as village leaders. (PNA) }