Marcos' ambition: Build 1 million low-cost housing units every year
PHNOM PENH, Cambodia—The Philippines wants to establish at least one million units of low-cost housing every year, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said Thursday.
While it is "ambitious," Marcos said the government "will try very, very hard" to make it happen.
At the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summits here, the President made the pronouncement during his meeting with local business leaders, who agreed to bolster cooperation with the Philippine government in terms of low-cost housing.
In pushing for his plans, Marcos cited the nationwide housing shortfall of about six million units. But the housing problem not only stops there. He said it also "extends into the social side."
But by initiating housing projects, the government must also create a community.
"Otherwise, it is not practical for people to live there. So there has to be schools nearby, work cannot be farther, commute cannot be more than one hour, there has to be a marketplace, all of this. The transportation is easy to get to," he said.
"That is why we have taken on a very aggressive housing program," he added, "So we are aiming for one million homes, one million low-cost and socialized homes a year."