TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — If elected president, Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s top priority is to provide a modest but decent house for all Filipino families who are homeless or do not live in their own house.
This was Pacquiao’s declaration to Filipinos, through his designated officials – PDP-Laban Eastern Visayas regional president Elvyra Gan and MP3 Coalition regional chairman and PDP-Laban Biliran provincial chairman Reynaldo Esmeralda – during a press conference in Tacloban City last Friday.
During the opening of Pacquiao’s regional headquarters in Tacloban, Gan told local media that the presidential aspirant had committed himself to the pabahay (housing) project that will provide housing to the homeless across the country, the first project he will accomplish once elected president.
Esmeralda revealed that this early, Pacquiao’s camp had received millions of pabahay forms, the processing of which has started.
“Pacquiao’s priority is housing for homeless Filipinos, a project he started even before he became a candidate for president. He had already done these kinds of projects in Sarangani province, General Santos City and recently, in Cavite,” Esmeralda said.
“Those projects were financed by (Pacquiao’s) own funds. If he did it before, the more that he can do it better if we help him get elected president; that’s his commitment,” he added.
Regarding the pabahay forms, Gan said people are excited about the project.
“We have personnel who visit households in barangays to explain Pacquiao’s project. People can also go personally to the regional or provincial headquarters, which are manned by able staff who could assist and discuss with them matters about pabahay,” she added.