In confronting the challenge of "healing a wounded nation," the Macapagal-Arroyo administration does not attempt to go about it by making big promises. But it is taking every conceivable step and adopting every practical, realistic measure to achieve its goal.
In the provision of housing for the people, for instance, Secretary Michael T. Defensor of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), in a message to CREBA during a recent monthly business meeting, announced that the President "has put herself on the line in the massive task of providing housing to the homeless," and is calling on the private sector to "put ourselves also on the line for this noble task."
The forthcoming CREBA 2001 National Convention in Bacolod City on October 25-27, is part of the chamber’s response to the challenge of putting ourselves on the line and thus contributing to this effort of healing the nation.
The CREBA convention is designed as a national forum through which the stakeholders in the housing and real estate sector will identify and address current housing issues.
The CREBA, it will be recalled, has packaged a comprehensive home financing scheme aimed at gradually licking the backlog of housing units estimated to be 4.5 million units and still growing.
As the legitimate sounding board of the industry, CREBA maintains that housing, with its overall impact on other sectors and job-generating impetus, holds a major key to healing the industry, the economy and the nation. The convention and its agenda constitute a response of every CREBA member to the call of the Macapagal-Arroyo administration for greater private sector participation in the formulation of a national vision.
The convention program has been well-trimmed, focusing only on the most critical issues, while retaining the annual treats and opportunities that developers look forward to, such as the dialogue with the housing agencies. It provides the time and occasion for them to redress their grievances and voice out their sentiments. Off the formal session halls, ample time is assured for fellowship as is usual for a gathering of this kind.
As convention situs, Bacolod City itself assures participants of utmost relaxing atmosphere. After all, the Bacolod charm is her people, smiling, fun-loving, zestful ad flowing with optimism, in good times or bad. This is the most well-known Bacoleño brand of hospitality whose warmth, sincerity and natural friendliness can make every visitor come again to this Visayan city and its environs. All this, certainly, will provide the proper atmosphere for a fruitful national convention for the industry.
During this healing process, and during each and every step of the way to national recovery, CREBA will help ensure that the voice of the housing sector will be heard. It hopes that its proposals for a sustainable housing program will be adopted to enable the industry to do its share in alleviating the plight of the nation’s homeless families.