De Castro said the local construction industry has the capability to help the government provide shelter to the poor and at the same time, provide employment for more than a million urban and rural construction workers.
He said the robust construction industry indicates the country is now experiencing a healthier state of economy which could provide employment and shelter for the poor.
In a speech before the participants and guests of the Philconstruct 2005 at the World Health Center organized by the Philippine Constructors Association Inc., De Castro said the local construction industry should contribute in the fight against unemployment.
De Castro, concurrent chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), noted the multiplier effect of local housing projects, the main component of the construction industry.
He said the industry has contributed P16.6 to the gross national product for every peso spent on one housing unit for the poor due to the big number of industries involved in the the construction of housing units.
De Castro said suppliers and sellers of construction materials are among the sectors that have benefited from the bullish construction industry.
He noted the construction industry, being a labor-intensive activity, has also benefited the manual labor sector.
De Castro emphasized a major housing project could give employment to more than a million urban and rural construction workers.
He cited as an example the project of building a low-cost housing unit which requires no less than eight laborers who are required to work for an estimated three weeks or a total of 124 man-days.
"And after the house has been built, painting and finishing touches are undertaken after which furniture and other appliances are then purchased," De Castro said.
The Vice President told the delegates of the need for basic shelter of many Filipinos.
He said Philippine construction has truly gone a long way and yet the culture of "crude, do it yourself construction" still exists among our less-fortunate countrymen.
"I’m referring to the so-called informal settlers who are building their shanties in places that are not supposed to be residential. They are using materials such as the landscape of poverty housing," De Castro said.
De Castro pointed out informal settlers usually build their shanties along railway tracks, along esteros and creeks, and even under bridges.
He said informal settlers simply attempt to have a roof over their heads with the means dictated by necessity, desperation and limited means.
The national shelter program, according to De Castro, for informal and formal sectors is incorporated in the medium term Philippine Development Plan and that the housing needs of some 1 million families for 2005-2010 would need P217 billion with top priority going to the poorest of the poor and 68 percent of the total target dedicated to socialized housing.
De Castro called on the Philippine Constructors Association Inc. to help the government in its housing programs for the poor in the same way private groups and non-government organizations have volunteered to build classrooms, multi-purpose halls and provide livelihood programs for families relocated by the Northrail project.