By Brian Jules Campued
The socialized housing projects under the flagship Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program of the Marcos administration have improved significantly, with amenities such as a basketball court, swimming pool, and clubhouse, Speaker Martin Romualdez said Tuesday.
During a site inspection of the 4PH housing project in San Mateo, Rizal, Romualdez said the housing site does not only provide decent shelter for Filipino families but also allow them to live in better conditions.
“Ito ang pangarap ng ating Pangulo: Ang mabigyan ng disenteng tirahan ang mga Pilipino. Ang mabigyan sila ng karapatang mamuhay nang may dignidad. Ang manirahan kayong lahat sa isang komunidad na payapa at ligtas,” he said.
According to the Speaker, at least 170,000 housing units are being built in 55 locations in Metro Manila alone.
Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Sec. Jose Rizalino Acuzar said this is on top of other housing projects under construction in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao, including 20 ongoing projects currently in “various stages of construction and development”.
The House leader, likewise, assured the public that the government remains on track with its original target of building 1 million housing units every year until 2028 to fill the 6.5 million housing backlogs.
Congress will also ensure that funds will be available to DHSUD’s projects, even if government financing institutions like Pag-IBIG had already pledged P250 billion for the housing programs.
“Isa lamang ito sa napakaraming housing projects na ipinapatayo ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. sa buong bansa. Malinaw po ang utos ng Pangulo: Tiyakin na may sapat na pondo ang lahat ng proyekto at programang inilaan niya para sa ikabubuti ng mga Pilipino,” he said.
‘Theme park-inspired’ project
The DHSUD is also building a theme park-inspired housing project in Misamis Oriental, composed of several 12-story buildings with commercial shops which is aimed to benefit more than 10,000 families.
Acuzar, along with other key DSHUD and Social Housing Finance Corporation officials, inspected the housing site in Valley View Township, Barangay Sta. Ana, Tagoloan town on May 30.
“This will be our model township Pambansang Pabahay project here in Mindanao. It has a nice, theme-park look open park with green and mountain scenery around,” he said.
“Sa open parks lang nagkakapantay-pantay ang ating mga kababayan mahirap man o mayaman,” the DHSUD chief added. – avds
