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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider DHSUD chief open to having dedicated agency for gov't housing projects

DHSUD chief open to having dedicated agency for gov't housing projects

Published Aug 29, 2023 06:11 am

At A Glance

  • Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar is open to having a separate agency handle the government's low-cost socialized housing projects.

Screenshot_20230829-135811_YouTube.jpgDHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar (Screenshot from YouTube live)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar is open to having a separate agency handle the government's low-cost socialized housing projects.

Independent minority solon Albay 1st district Rep. Edcel Lagman made this pitch after Acuzar admitted to House of Representatives members the slow implementation of DHSUD's Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program or 4PH. 

Acuzar--who attended the agency's 2024 budget hearing before the Committee on Appropriations Tuesday, Aug. 29--blamed the hesitancy of contractors and developers from dipping their hands into the project out of fear that they won't be paid the interest. 

“Yung one million [houses] a year in the first year of the program, mabagal yan. Kasi lahat po ng developer at contractors, procurement ang problema namin (The one million houses a year in the first year of the program is slow. Because for all the developers and contractors, procurement is our problem)," he said. 

"Yung developers, contractors nagwe-wait-and-see because of the interest subsidy. Ngayon po na binigyan niyo kami ng interest subsidy, tatapang na po ang mga negosyante at developers na tumaya at magtayo po ng pabahay," the Cabinet secretary said. 

(The developers and contractors are employing a wait-and-see attitude because of the interest subsidy. Now that you've given us interest subsidy, the businessmen and developers will no longer hesitate to invest and build houses.) 

Under the P5.768-trillion National Expenditure Program (NEP) for 2024, a total of P1.257 billion has been set aside for the interest subsidy, aside from the P7.54-billion worth of unprogrammed funds. 

Lagman, in his interpellation of Acuzar, brought up the possibility of government coming up with a dedicated, non-profit government agency that would implement socialized housing programs for the poor. 

"So that you will not be anymore be captured by the profit orientation of private developers and entrepreneurs….at the end of the day gobyerno rin ang nagfi-finance nito e (it's the government that finances this). Why not create an agency which is non-profit to solely construct socialize economic housing projects?” Lagman told Acuzar. 

“Baka pwede nating pag-aralan…kasi tamang tama po yung idea nyo sir na meron pong binigay ang Presidente sa [Executive Order 34] yung idle land. Malaking bagay po yung idea. Pag-aaralan po namin sir baka pupwede po na magkaroon tayo ng ganyang programa," replied the DHSUD chief. 

(Maybe we can study it...because your idea jibes with the provision of idle land under President's Executive Order 34. That's idea is valuable. We will study the possibility of having such program.)

The target of the agency is to finish 260 housing projects composed of a total of 410,327 units from 2024 to 2026. 

Of the figure, 72,810 units are nearing completion. 

Related Tags

national expenditure program Edcel Lagman DHSUD
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