The DHSUD faces bigger and more daunting challenges
Secretary Jose Ramon “Ping” P. Aliling appears to have started off on the right foot since his appointment as the country’s new chief of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).
After breezing through the Commission on Appointments (CA), Mr. Aliling or Ping has received the backing of 42 Philippine developers, which pledged to build over 250,000 socialized housing units under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program.
Ping will need all the support of home builders to realize his department’s goal of providing decent and affordable shelter units. He is charged, in his own words, with “a mission of enabling every Filipino family to live in a safe, resilient and sustainable communities.”
Ping comes from the construction business and he should be very familiar with what is ailing the sector.
The housing czar, during his confirmation hearing with the CA in June, was quick to note the limitations of the 4PH program. The DHSUD is now expanding it from just one modality involving vertical development.
Ping’s department has included horizontal development, rehousing and rental schemes in the mix.
The marginalized sectors are not lost on the DHSUD’s mission. “Our key shelter agencies have also been tasked with focusing on the most vulnerable sectors, relaunching the community mortgage program or CMP and scaling up housing finance programs to reach more beneficiaries,” says Ping.
The DHSUD faces bigger and more daunting challenges. The UN-Habitat Philippines Country Report 2023 noted a backlog of 6.5 million housing units in the Philippines.
Per the report, an estimated 3.7 million informal settler families are directly impacted by the deficit.
Says the report: “Urban migration, a rising number of informal settlements, armed conflict, systemic inequity, and climate change are some of the main drivers that contribute to the growing housing need.”
The backlog, the report continued, is further worsened by declining housing production brought about by tedious bureaucratic regulatory and approving process, high reliance on private sector investment and inadequate budget allocation for housing.
The UN-Habitat report estimates that the total housing backlog could reach around 22 million by 2040, if left unaddressed.
The Philippines in 2022 actually launched the 4PH Program that sought to build 1 million houses annually for the next six years.
The private sector, meanwhile, must do its share to bridge the housing gap. And it quickly responded.
The Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations Inc. (CREBA), National Real Estate Association (NREA), Organization of Socialized and Economic Housing Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP) and Subdivision and Housing Developers Association Inc. (SHDA) expressed “strong and unified commitment” to address the country’s housing needs.
“In manifestation of our shared optimism towards your administration and the potential of a recalibrated 4PH to deliver meaningful solutions …we are pleased to submit the initial list of private developers who have expressed commitment to participate…To date, these commitments total 251,846 units,” the groups said.
The housing developers saw sincerity in DHSUD’s efforts to straighten out the bureaucratic maze and hurdles they had to undergo in finishing one housing unit.
The DHSUD is streamlining the permitting processes, adjusting price ceilings, updating technical standards for socialized housing and establishing a Housing One-Stop Processing Centers (HOPCs) to speed up paper works.
To accelerate the implementation, the groups proposed piloting a dedicated HOPC specifically for 4PH-related permits and transactions. The initiative, the groups stressed, would strengthen coordination among government agencies, local governments and the private sector, ensuring faster project approvals and construction.
“The private sector stands ready to do its part,” the developers assured, expressing confidence the Expanded 4PH could “finally deliver large-scale, inclusive and sustainable housing solutions for Filipino families.”
The DHSUD must live up to its role of providing affordable homes. especially in the face of changing weather patterns. Ping is aware of flood and other climate related risks that can affect housing areas.
Public and private socialized housing projects must avoid damages during floods and other natural disasters. The Philippines is vulnerable to climate risks.
Urban settlements should be built as sustainable communities―one that can weather climate change.
E-mail: rayenano@yahoo.com or extrastory2000@gmail.com
