The Marcos administration aims to address the country’s housing backlog by building over six million houses to benefit some 30 million Filipinos.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. called on stakeholders to increase efforts to solve the country’s housing issues.
According to the administration’s 2022 year-end report, the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (National Housing for Filipinos) Program aims to build 6.15 million housing units over the next six years and involves converting informal settlements into prime residential areas.
The Department of Human Settlements and Development signed 47 Memorandums of Understanding with 39 local government units and eight provincial LGUs as of 22 December 2022.
Groundbreaking ceremonies were held in 15 LGUs, namely: Bacolod City in Negros Occidental; Iligan City in Lanao del Norte; Tagbilaran City in Bohol; Iloilo City; Carle in Iloilo Province; Sta. Barbara, Iloilo Province; Victorias City, Iloilo Province; Roxas City in Capiz; Mandaue City in Cebu; Quezon City and Marikina City in National Capital Region; Mariveles in Bataan; Palayan City in Nueva Ecija; Carmona in Cavite; and Tanauan City in Batangas.
Inclusive housing for all
Marcos is expected to sign an executive order implementing Section 24 of Republic Act 11201, which requires government agencies to work together to identify idle state properties suitable for housing and rural development.
A briefer on the site inspection of the land development and housing project mentioned that the socioeconomic aim of the Marcos government is to create livable and sustainable communities to improve living conditions for Filipinos.
The government is aiming to create inclusive and sustainable settlements and well-planned communities, in addition to providing shelter, particularly to impoverished and disaster-affected families, it was said.
THE National Housing for Filipinos program aims to build 6.15 million housing units over the next six years.
Under the Emergency Housing Assistance Program, the National Housing Authority gave P349 million to 33,637 recipients affected by the 7.3-magnitude earthquake in Northern Luzon on 27 July 2022, Super Typhoon Odette in 2021, and other natural disasters.
The SM Development Corporation, Pag-IBIG Fund, NHA, and the municipalities of Bucay and Tayum in Abra, have signed an MoU with the DHSUD to create permanent housing for affected households in the province as resettlement places. In addition, the DHSUD is working to relocate those impacted by the earthquake.
Other housing achievements include completing 7,300 new housing units through NHA, awarding 100 housing units to Intramuros residents through the Social Housing Finance Corporation, and financing 46,433 housing units through the Pag-IBIG Fund End-User Home Financing Program, of which 8,444 are socialized housing units.
Affordable housing for all
The briefer on the site inspection of the land development and housing project also said the DHSUD and LGUs would “identify blighted areas for development, purchase or pursue expropriation of private properties occupied by informal settler families, facilitate the
in-city or onsite development of government-owned properties with ISFs, and identify beneficiaries of the housing project.”
The DHSUD and GFIs, which include the Development Bank of the Philippines, Land Bank of the Philippines, Government Service Insurance System, and Social Security System, also agreed to work together on funding plans and the distribution of financial, technical, and operational resources for the Fourth Philippine Highway on 21 December 2022.
The President emphasized that the administration plans to give families shelter, not just for the country’s poorest citizens, but also for working people who require quality housing.
The President said, housing organizations and developers should consider including facilities and essentials like water, power, markets, schools, and transportation hubs in their housing projects.
To give Filipinos good homes with the most basic amenities and conveniences, Marcos also committed to intensifying efforts for the administration’s ambitious housing project.
Construction on the project has already started in a number of areas across the country.