Presidential aspirant Sen. Manny Pacquiao on Tuesday said he will prioritize the construction and distribution of free housing to calamity victims, especially those who were displaced by Super Typhoon Odette.
Apart from free housing, Pacquiao said he would also make sure the victims will not lose their livelihood as a result of their relocation or they would be given work if they have none.
Aside from ensuring their livelihood, Pacquiao said the government should make sure they would build disaster-resilient structures so that taxpayers’ money is not wasted for never-ending relocation projects.
If elected into office, Pacquiao said his administration will embark on a massive program to build sustainable housing communities to provide decent and sturdy shelters for the country’s informal settlers and those who have been displaced by calamities and armed conflict.
Pacquiao said his housing program will also cover families who are still renting for their living spaces.
“Free housing will be a centerpiece program of my administration. We should be able to provide free shelters for Filipino families who are renting and cannot afford socialized housing,” Pacquiao said.
The senator has vowed to end the country’s squatter problem by providing free housing for the country’s 1.9 informal settlers and 6.7 million families who are still renting homes.
He promised to fulfill this in three to five years using funds that will be saved for ending corruption in all levels of governance.
He estimates that the government is losing at least P1 trillion a year from corruption.
Earlier, Pacquiao appealed to the government to relocate fishing communities destroyed by Typhoon Odette in areas that are not only safe but are accessible to the sea to ensure their livelihood.
Since 2005, Pacquiao has already built 5 housing subdivisions called Pacman Villages in General Santos City and Sarangani Province and distributed the houses for free. All the Pacman Villages were financed by Pacquiao’s personal funds.
