LGUs tapped to expand national housing program

MANILA, Philippines — The Marcos administration is working with local government units (LGUs) to expand the national housing program, which seeks to solve the 6.5 million housing backlog in the Philippines.

Speaking during the inspection of a government housing project in Pampanga yesterday, Marcos said he aims to build one million houses per year before the end of his six-year term.

The Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) project is one of the priorities of the administration because of the seriousness of the problem of lack of shelter in the country, he added.

“That’s why we are continuously coordinating with different local governments and government agencies nationwide – in Luzon, in the Visayas until in Mindanao. This is to ensure that the 4PH would be expanded so that more Filipinos would be reached and would benefit from it,” Marcos said in Filipino.

He said the houses to be built would be near schools, hospitals, markets and recreational facilities. The area also has parking lots that the beneficiaries can use, he added.

“Aside from houses, the program aims to provide the beneficiaries a peaceful community,” the Chief Executive said. “Many Filipinos will surely benefit from these comfortable, affordable and safe houses.”

Marcos, together with DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, Speaker Martin Romualdez, Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC) president and chief executive officer Federico Laxa and other top government officials, inspected the Crystal Peak Estates housing project located in Barangay Del Carmen in San Fernando.

The project is located on a 9.8-hectare land and can accommodate more than 8,300 families, both from the public and private sectors, including overseas Filipino workers and uniformed personnel.

The housing project is being developed by the SHFC and is composed of 30 12-story buildings with a mix of 25- and 28-square meter units.?The housing projects in Minalin and Candaba, expected to benefit 10,000 people, were also presented to Marcos.

The St. Andrews Residences will be built on a 5.7-hectare land in Barangay Mandasig in Candaba and consist of 18 mid-rise buildings with around 5,000 units.

The Minalin Housing Project will be located on a 7-hectare land in Barangay Sta. Maria, where about 24 low- and mid-rise buildings will be constructed with 5,016 housing units.?The government expects the three projects to significantly reduce Pampanga’s huge housing need, which has been estimated to be at 91,000 units.

“We at DHSUD thank SHFC, the LGUs and all our partners for heeding the call to address the housing backlog. We call on our other partners, other LGUs to do the same,” Acuzar said.

“This is another concrete proof that the government is serious about this program. It is also a testament that with the synergy between the national and local government and the private sector, we can do more,” he added.

Marcos thanked the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development for leading the project and expressed optimism that the initiative would progress beyond groundbreaking ceremonies.

The housing department has signed more than 150 memoranda of understanding under the 4PH program, which will be implemented in 28 locations nationwide.

Marcos also thanked the local government of San Fernando, SHFC and the private sector for supporting the housing project.

“Let us help one another. Let us observe communal unity at all times. This is the key to recovery from the trials we are facing,” the President said.

“If we are united, we would not only build our dream houses. We would also achieve a brighter and more prosperous future for everyone,” he added.

The 4PH program aims to construct one million housing units per year from 2023 to 2028 to address the country’s housing backlog of around 6.5 million units.