Presidential aspirant Sen. Manny Pacquiao was formally named as the world’s “Ambassador for the Homeless and Vulnerable” by the international philanthropic organization Spring Rain Global.
The standard bearer of PROMDI was conferred the title for championing the cause of the homeless.
Should he win the presidency, Pacquiao said he plans to build at least 10 million houses which will be distributed for free to the country’s 1.6 million informal settlers and more than nine million families who are renting apartments or are sharing spaces with their extended families.
Pacquiao earlier led the groundbreaking of a community center of a housing development project at the reclamation area in Brgy. Subangdako, Mandaue City, Cebu.
Spring Rain Global, known globally as one of the leading international organizations that raises and facilitates funding for various humanitarian projects especially in Third World countries, has been working with the country’s Vincentian Missionaries, the Malibu Matimco Village Home Owners Association Inc., the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders Association and the Mandaue City government for the construction of 3,000 housing units at the reclamation area in Sitio Malibu and Matimco in Mandaue.
Apart from leading the turnover rites, Pacquiao also led the groundbreaking of the community center which he donated.
During his visit to Cebu, Pacquiao also turned over 10 generator sets donated by Veloce Esports and Team Pacquiao GG to 10 communities which still have no electricity because of the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Odette in December.
According to Pacquiao, although these private sector partnerships that build shelters for poor Filipinos are helping bridge the housing gap, these projects are barely enough to make a dent in addressing the country’s massive housing shortage.
He said this is the reason why housing is one of the priority programs under his “Health of the Nation” policy platform. Health is an acronym for Housing, Education, Aid, Livelihood, Transportation and Utilities and Health.
According to the senator, he realized that it is impossible to address the country’s housing problem without the full and direct support of the government after building five housing subdivisions called Pacman Villages in General Santos City and the province of Sarangani.
“These NGOs and private organizations like the SRG, the Vincentian Missionaries, MMVHAI and CREBA can only do so much to reduce the backlog,” he said.