By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. led the turnover of new house and lot units at St. Barts Southville Heights Housing Project in San Pablo City, Laguna on Monday.
Said project caters to 1,099 informal settler families (ISFs) affected by the construction of the Philippine National Railways (PNR) South Long Haul (SLH) Project—Segments 2 to 7, with each house built on a 40.5-square-meter lot and a total floor area of 27.35 square meters.
“Kasama ng pagbubukas ng mga pintuan sa bagong tahanan ay ang bagong pag-asa para sa napakaraming pamilya,” President Marcos said.
“Kaya po kapag sinabi nating ‘housing project,’ hindi lang po ibig sabihin ay may bahay. Ibig sabihin isang buong komunidad ang ating binubuo,” he added.
The Chief Executive, moreover, noted that the project includes facilities such as a three-storey elementary school, a two-classroom daycare center, multipurpose covered court, wet and dry market, health center, livelihood training center, tricycle terminal, material recovery facility (MRF) and community police action building, which are undergoing construction and are set to benefit the beneficiaries of St. Barts Southville Heights.
The site also features a retention pond, a land marker, and a main entrance gate to ensure safety and orderliness within the community.
President Marcos concluded his speech by reminding the residents to look after their new homes and work in unison to make the community a better place to live.
“May tahanan na po kayong matatawag ninyong sarili ninyo, pag-aari ninyo. Kaya ang pakiusap ko lang sa inyo: ‘Alagaan naman ninyo ang mga tahanang ito at mahalin ninyo ang inyong komunidad.’”
This housing development is part of the government’s Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, which was reinforced through the President’s earlier signing of Republic Act No. 12216 or the NHA Act in May, which extends the agency’s operations for another 25 years.
Also present at the event were Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling, National Housing Authority (NHA) General Manager Joeben Tai, PNR General Manager Deovanni Miranda, Laguna Governor Marisol Aragones-Sampelo, Laguna 3rd District Representative Loreto Amante, and San Pablo City Mayor Najie Gapangada.
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