Two years after it embarked on an ambitious program of solving the 6.5 million housing backlogs for informal settlers (ISFs) and low-income earners in the country, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) is now gradually completing some of the projects that include condominium buildings.
On Dec. 17, for instance, President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos led the distribution of housing units for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Palayan City in Nueva Ecija while the local government of Bacolod City has also started distributing housing units based on its partnership with the DHSUD.
Currently, DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar said 56 housing projects are simultaneously being developed and constructed in different parts of the country.
“Some of these have condominium buildings already completed and now ready for take out,” said Acuzar.
The housing projects under the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) Program was launched in September 2022 in a move to either close the gap or address the housing backlogs in the country.
Unlike previous housing projects, Acuzar included in the housing plan the construction of vertical or multi-storey buildings to maximize land use, especially that the focus is on in-city, on-site housing which was adopted as part of the lessons in the past wherein beneficiaries would abandon their housing units due to transportation challenges to their workplaces.
In order to maximize the funding on the mass housing programs, the DHSUD partnered with the local government units especially in the identification of available lands, as well as government and private financial institutions.
Acuzar also pushed for reduced interest rates, including government subsidies for ISFs and low-income earners.
The housing programs include the nationwide Plan and Do or Planado, which was launched in February this year to enhance land use planning and urban development in the country.
The Planado Program focuses on two major outputs – to achieve zero backlog on Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs) and Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plans by 2028, and to promote urban development for the next generation.
The program is an initiative to streamline and digitalize land use and urban planning and development processes, with the aim of fostering the creation of smart, green, resilient and inclusive human settlements.
From January to September 2024, the DHSUD has also issued a license to sell (LS) to 367 projects which equates to a total of 143,301 residential units.
“The issuance of LS protects homebuyers from unscrupulous developers and transactions since it requires the conformance of these projects with the prescribed standards,” said Acuzar.
On urban development, he said the DHSUD processed a cumulative data of 138 Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUP) and Provincial Physical Framework Plans (PDPFP) for sustainable and resilient human settlements.
A total of 58 CLUPs and four PDPFPs were approved, while 65 CLUPs and 11 PDPFPs are for finalization, adoption and approval. Meanwhile, 26,307 registered homeowners’ associations, 224 federations and 36 confederations are registered and monitored around the country as of September 2024.
Challenges
In all its focused programs, Acuzar admitted that they faced numerous challenges, particularly in terms of funding requirements and bureaucratic processes.
"That is why we formulated concepts and programs that can attract private funds. The government alone cannot solve the decades-old housing woes and the massive urbanization," Acuzar said.
"But we intend to turn these challenges into opportunities. We are not discouraged, instead, we strive harder to pursue our mandates," he added.
It is yet to be seen, however, if the DHSUD would be able to address the 6.5 million housing backlog before the end of the term of President Marcos.
Urban Renewal
While at the height of the nationwide implementation of the mass housing, Acuzar was also tasked to lead the Inter-Agency Council for the Pasig River Urban Development (IAC-PRUD), in-charge of the Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli (PBBM) Project aimed at bringing back the glory of the waterway and maximize its economic potentials through tourism and transportation connectivity.
Just like 4PH, the rehabilitation of Pasig River and its tributaries was declared as among the priority of the Marcos Jr. administration by virtue of Executive Order 35, that created the 15-agency IAC-PRUD.
So far, the IAC-PRUD has opened the 500-meter showcase area at the back of the Manila Central Post Office up to the entrance of Intramuros near Plaza Mexico.
The place is now among the favorite spots of both local and foreign tourists visiting Manila. Works are underway for another pilot area under the PBBM Project.
Another pilot project on urban renewal was the Pasay City Staging Area which was completed to ensure there is no displacement of informal settler families applying for 4PH.
The staging area is complete with amenities like a playground, commercial stalls and a day care center.
Disaster Response
Aside from housing and urban renewal programs, the DHSUD was also tasked to assist Filipino families severely affected by the weather disturbances, the most notable was the series of typhoons that hit the country since the last quarter of 2024.
Under the Integrated Disaster Shelter Assistance Program (IDSAP) the DHSUD provides unconditional cash assistance of P30,000 to families whose houses are totally damaged while P10,000 to those with partially damaged shelters due to calamity, either man-made or natural.
The department also distributed housing materials and essentials, or under the HOMEs program. Each HOME kit is composed of GI sheets, plywood, lumber and nails, amounting to about P15,000 each.
As of Dec. 13, more than P130 million of the P200 million IDSAP fund has been utilized to assist disaster victims. Some 6,000 families received the said cash assistance.