President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Wednesday said the government will exceed its annual target of one million housing units with the completion of at least 1.2 million housing units under the flagship Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing Program (4PH).
The President was confident this can be achieved given the track record of Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar.
“So if we can start… What are we now? Ten months? Ten months. Secretary Jerry has made 1.2 million. Let’s see. just keep going,” President Marcos said in a media interview in San Jose del Monte City.
“I have a lot of confidence because when he was in the private sector, he really did it. He knows how to do it. So I think we just wait for the actual structures to start coming up. That, let’s go to that too when it happens,” Mr. Marcos said of Acuzar.
One of the main indicators of the increasing number of shelter availability is the spike in the number of new Pag-IBIG Fund members and increased interest from the people to buy new homes, the President said.
All of these things are indicative, he said, of the continued take-up of new shelters and that there is a market for real estate in the country.
“It is right that we have addressed this housing problem,” he said.
Prior to speaking with reporters, the President led the groundbreaking of six housing projects in Bulacan, which could generate up to 30,000 units.
The housing projects include the San Rafael Heights Development Project in Barangay Caingin in San Rafael, the Rising City Residential Project in Barangay Gaya-Gaya, San Jose del Monte City, and the Mom’s Ville Homeowners Association Incorporated Project in Barangay Penabatan, Pulilan.
The President also led simultaneous groundbreaking ceremonies in Malolos City and the towns of Pandi and Guiguinto.
According to Acuzar, the historic simultaneous launching is another testament of the continuing rollout of the administration’s flagship Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) Program designed to build one million housing units annually until 2028 to address the country’s housing backlog pegged at more than 6.5 million units.
Acuzar congratulated the local chief executives for their fruitful collaboration that would soon fulfill the basic need of families in Bulacan to have dignified shelters in well-planned communities. A total of 12,563 housing units will be constructed during the initial phase of the six projects. Based on the submitted master development plan, these projects could generate around 30,000 shelters when expanded into additional phases.
“This is another solid testament of our beloved President’s commitment to uplift the lives of our kababayans through decent yet affordable housing,” he said.
The 4PH Program is part of the DHSUD’s thrust to fulfill its mandate to develop and adopt a national strategy to address the proper and timely provision of adequate and affordable shelter to Filipino families.
Under the new housing program, the DHSUD is mandated to ensure the alignment of the policies, programs and projects of its attached agencies to facilitate the achievement of the program’s objective.
So far, more than 130 memoranda of understanding have been signed by DHSUD with various local government units in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao since the launching of 4PH last September.
“Through this project, thousands of Bulakenyos will be able to realize their dream of having a proper and affordable house that they can call their own home,” President Marcos said during groundbreaking of the 4PH project.
“This is part of your government’s program of one million houses in different parts of the country every year during the Marcos Administration,” the President said.