SHDA, PCCS and HUDCC target 100,000 new homes

The Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA), the leading organization of real estate developers nationwide has responded to the call of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Concil (HUDCC) and housing developers to come together for a pledging session with President Arroyo in October being the Housing Month to commit to build at least 100,000 new housing units up to 2004.

According to SHDA chairman Teofisto L. Guingona III, this joint undertaking between the HUDCC and SHDA is one of the major government-private sector cooperative efforts to revitalize the real estate industry and spur economic growth. It is a realization that housing contributes positively not only to the economy but also to social stability, job generation, even peace and order.

For his part, national president Jesus B. Atencio noted "Though this began as an SHDA initiative, majority of the members of the Private Sector Consultative Council for Shelter (PCCS) – Organization of Socialized Housing Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP), Women in Shelter and its Environment (WISE), and Builders Alliance Toward Action (BATA) have agreed to join the pledging session, thus, elevate this activity into a PCCS industry-wide endeavor. We are confident that, with the help of PCCS-member organizations the target of 100,000 units can be reached."

Atencio added that the pledging session will be a good opportunity for the developers to relay to the President the reforms in housing policies that government need to undertake so that the developers can have a proper business environment that will enable to achieve our pledged commitments.

He said that at present, SHDA developers have at least 54 applications for conversion and exemption with the Department of Agrarian Reform which roughly translates to some 850 hectares capable of producing 55,000 new units.