Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) on Thursday said a legislative more to institutionalize the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino program (4PH) will provide a significant push to the housing sector.
Meanwhile, a lawmaker from the Bicol region lauded Acuzar’s initiatives to forge tie-ups with the private sector to build six million affordable homes during the Marcos administration
Acuzar was referring to Senate Bill 2108 filed by Senator Christopher Lawrence Go seeking to legislate 4PH, the flagship housing program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., to ensure its sustainability.
He recognized previous efforts to back the housing and urban development sector in terms of funding by Congress, including Senator Francis Tolentino’s measure establishing the National Comprehensive Housing Financing Program.
I am so thankful to our senators for supporting President Marcos Jr. in realizing his dream of providing affordable, modern, decent and sustainable housing for homeless Filipinos,” Acuzar said.
Go’s bill aims to bridge the country’s housing gap through a comprehensive plan focused on providing affordable and decent housing for Filipinos, particularly the poor families.
He said his proposed law would ensure that every Filipino could afford a safe and comfortable place to live in.
The bill also provides for a mechanism to subsidize amortization and interest for the beneficiaries, a key feature of the 4PH program.
Potential buyer-beneficiaries must be capable of and committed to paying the subsidized housing loan amortization.
On the other hand, Tolentino’s National Comprehensive Housing Financing Program proposes to automatically appropriate funds for the government’s housing agencies to ignite a large-scale program such as the 4PH for the country to catch up with the housing backlog and provide a home for every Filipino.
“Bills which seek to institutionalize the Pambansang Pabahay would ensure that this flagship program of the Marcos administration will continue to have the support of every administration until we can complete our mission of providing decent shelter for all,” Acuzar said.
“DHSUD is fully supportive of these bills and similar measures in Congress, and we are ready to provide all the needed information that they may require in crafting this very important piece of legislation,” he added.
The 4PH targets one million housing units per year until 2028 to address the country’s housing shortage estimated at more than 6.5 million units.
The DHSUD is the primary government agency responsible for the management of housing, human settlements and urban development as its mandate under Republic Act 11201, is to spearhead implementation of the 4PH program.
“Innovative partnerships with local governments and also with private developers and contractors to meet the government-targeted one million homes yearly during the Marcos watch will enable the DHSUD to build the six million affordable homes—and thereby close the housing backlog—by the time the President leaves office in 2028,” Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymund Villafuerte said.
“The national government certainly cannot hope to close the housing backlog without the full support not only of local governments, but of private developers and contractors as well,” Villafuerte added.
Villafuerte also supported the President’s plan to build socialized housing projects on more vacant government lots, as part of his pursuit of increased collaboration with local governments and the private sector on closing the housing gap, under the 4PH program.
President Marcos had vowed to launch similar mass housing projects in the years ahead and to work continuously in finding idle government lands suitable for mass shelter projects for homeless Filipinos.
In a separate housing event last April 19, the President voiced optimism that his government could exceed its annual target of 1 million housing units with the provision of at least 1.2 million housing units under the flagship 4PH program.
The President said he was confident this could be achieved, considering the track record of Acuzar, who was a high profile developer and contractor prior to his stint with the government.