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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider House officials decry very low funding for housing

House officials decry very low funding for housing

Published Sep 10, 2021 05:27 pm

A House of Representatives committee on Friday September 10 decried the national government’s lack of concern for the housing sector since it gave to the National Housing Administration (NHA) a measly P6.3 billion for its housing program for 2022.

The P6.3 billion is a far cry from the requested annual funding of P75.757 billion for NHA’s housing program where it has a backlog of 6.5 million housing units.

It is an insufficient budget for the government’s shelter agencies, lamented Representative Kiko Benitez.

Benitez further said that he felt let down by this development after noticing that the billions and billions of pesos allocated by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is ‘’too stark.’’

Samar Rep. Paul R. Daza, committee presiding officer representing the House Committee on Appropriations, joined Benitez in decrying the government’s very small budget for the its shelter agencies.

‘’Today, we are facing a housing crisis,’’ Daza stressed.

Gabriela Partylist Rep. Arlene Brosas was able to get a commitment from the NHA that there would be no demolitions at structures where poor people reside during the current COVID-19 pandemic.

‘’No relocation, no demolition,’’ Jun Escalada, a ranking NHA official, told Brosas who complained that 1,760 families face demolition in the Vitas-Katuparan area.

Escalada said the NHA is planning to build detached high-rise buildings in the area to accommodate the Informal Settler Families ((ISFs or squatters).

When Brosas said that those to be accommodated by the NHA might pay monthly amortizations of P3,700 a month like what residents at the D. M. Macapagal tenement housing are shelling out, Escalada said the NHA is thinking of a P600 to P1,000 monthly amortization.

As the need of ISFs is expected to rise by 25 percent in the 2021-2022 period, the NHA asked for congressional help in more government funding.

This is expected to rise to 30 percent in the 2022-2030 period, it added.

On a query by Representative France Castro, the NHA said that 3,976 of the Kadamay occupants of a government-owned housing project in Pandi, Bulacan have been given the go-signal to occupy their units.

The NHA said it expects the award to the remaining 796 occupants after they have completed the submission of documents.

Housing Secretary Eduardo del Rosa said the Task Force Bangon Marawi has already completed 75 percent in the rehabilitation and development of the battle-scarred Marawi city which experienced a months-long siege by Muslim extremists started in May 2017.

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