By Brian Campued
At least 42 private developers have committed to build 251,846 socialized housing units under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s expanded Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) Program, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) said in a statement Wednesday.
In a joint letter addressed to DHSUD Sec. Jose Ramon Aliling, four major developer groups—Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations, Inc. (CREBA), National Real Estate Association (NREA), Organization of Socialized and Economic Housing Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP), and Subdivision and Housing Developers Association, Inc. (SHDA)—affirmed their “shared optimism” towards the Marcos administration and the potential of the expanded 4PH “to deliver large-scale, inclusive, and sustainable housing solutions for Filipino families.”
The groups cited the recent reforms implemented by DHSUD that showed its commitment to eliminating regulatory hurdles delaying housing projects. These include streamlined permitting processes, adjustments to price ceilings, updated technical standards for socialized housing, and the establishment of Housing One-Stop Processing Centers (HOPCs).
“We see this not merely as a numerical pledge, but as a concrete reflection of the mass housing sector’s confidence in the direction the Department is taking under your stewardship,” they stated.
The developers also proposed having a dedicated HOPC that would handle only 4PH-related permits and developer transactions to improve coordination among government agencies, local government units, and the private sector.
Aliling welcomed the commitment, noting that the expanded 4PH is “on the right track.”
“This also strengthens our resolve to provide decent homes and dignified living for government housing beneficiaries under the President’s vision of a Bagong Pilipinas,” he said.
Operationalize ‘8-Point Agenda’, attached agencies told
Aliling, in a memorandum signed July 7, instructed all attached agencies of DHSUD to “align, implement, and operationalize” priority actions in pursuant to the President’s directive to fast-track housing projects. In particular, the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) were ordered to immediately turn over unoccupied but already finished housing projects to “bona fide” beneficiaries as well as conduct an inventory of all state-funded housing projects.
The DHSUD chief also directed key shelter agencies (KSAs) to ensure that streamlined processes are aligned with the standards of the Anti-Red Tape Authority.
Aliling’s directives were in line with the DHSUD’s 8-Point Agenda aimed at widening the coverage of 4PH beneficiaries and expedite turnover of completed housing units.
-jpv
