The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development is ending 2020 by unveiling seven housing projects in December.
Secretary Eduardo del Rosario spearheaded the signing of two agreements with the province of Bataan, led by Gov. Albert Raymond Garcia, and Muntinlupa City Mayor Jaime Fresnedi.
He welcomed the partnership with the Bataan and Muntinlupa City as a positive development, noting that housing had a vital social impact on Filipinos.
“It is a social responsibility of the government to ensure that the ‘poorest of the poor’ will have the opportunity to have a house of their own that is decent and affordable,” he said.
“We can see clearly the convergence of efforts among the local government unit, the national government and the private sector so that we can build a housing project that will be gladly accepted by the beneficiaries.”
The proposed One Bataan Village is intended for more than 1,000 displaced families affected by an accidental fire that occurred in Sitio Depensa in Bataan’s coastal town of Capunitan on Jan. 29, 2019.
Under the pact, the DHSUD through the National Housing Authority, will lead the land development to pave the way for the construction of six three-story buildings on a 7.5-hectare housing site acquired by the municipal and provincial governments and situated some two kilometers away from the site where the fire struck.
Del Rosario led the finalization of an agreement with Fresnedi for a similar undertaking that would mainly cater to city government employees.
“This is a very welcome opportunity for us to showcase to local government units the direction of the national government in housing because this is embodied in Republic Act 11201, wherein DHSUD is mandated to help all Filipinos especially low-income families in availing of affordable and decent housing being provided both by the national government and local government units,” he said.
Despite the DHSUD being among the youngest departments in the whole bureaucracy and is still confronting some birth pains, the housing agency is determined to fulfill its goal of providing sustainable housing communities to the underserved and to have a positive impact on people’s lives with the help of its key shelter agencies, Del Rosario said.
The new housing projects are the sixth and seventh, respectively, to be rolled out by the DHSUD in three weeks.
Cementing stronger ties with the local governments was among the DHSUD’s priorities for next year, Del Rosario said.