Marcos reserves Tondo lot for DHSUD projects

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos has declared a portion of land in Tondo, Manila for ownership and development by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) for the government’s socialized housing program.

Proclamation 610, issued on June 21, allows the DHSUD to own and carry out urban development subject to final ground survey Lot 4-A, Csd-00-003715 in Tondo.

The total land area of the property is 21,872 square meters more or less.

The proclamation was issued upon the recommendation of the secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Marcos’ proclamation, signed by Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, authorizes the DENR to issue the corresponding “special patent” covering the property reserved for DHSUD’s township development projects.

The issuance also creates a Project Inter-Agency Committee (PIAC) chaired by the DHSUD, with the DENR and the city government of Manila as members.

The PIAC should formulate and issue the implementing rules of Proclamation 610 and identify the beneficiaries of the housing project, the proclamation said.

In April, Marcos issued Administrative Order (AO) 21, creating the Inter-Agency Coordinating Council tasked to create a master list of all lands owned by the government to ensure efficient utilization of land resources for the country’s development.

The body is chaired by the DENR and DHSUD and co-chaired by the Department of Agrarian Reform.

In issuing the AO, Marcos said one of the key strategies identified in the Philippine Development Plan (PDP) 2023-2028 to establish livable communities “is the creation of a database containing a complete inventory of idle government lands.”

In July last year, Marcos issued Executive Order 34, directing all government agencies to come up with an inventory of public lands suitable for the administration’s socialized housing projects known as the “Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program.”

The country’s housing backlog was estimated at 6.8 million, based on the PDP 2023-2028.

The Marcos administration aims to build one million houses per year or six million by the end of 2028.