Ilocos 4P housing starts with 10 condo buildings

By Gabriel L. Cardinoza

ASINGAN, Pangasinan -- The first housing project in Region 1 (Ilocos Region) under the national government's Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4P) program was launched here on Dec. 15, in the farming village of Carosucan Norte.
    "This project consists of 10 four-story condominium buildings," said Sherwin Patanao, 4P regional focal person of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DSHUD), shortly after the groundbreaking ceremony here.
    "We are no longer developing horizontal housing projects because our agricultural areas are becoming smaller and smaller," Patanao added.
    The project will be built starting next year inside a 2.14-hectare area located about 1.5 kilometers from the Villasis-Asingan Road.
    Each condominium building will have 24 units in each floor, or a total of 96 units for every building. Each unit will have an area of 27 square meters.
    "So, there will be a total of 960 units. And this is just the first phase of the project," said Patanao.
DHSUD Undersecretary Emmanuel Pineda said that the housing project will have a swimming pool, playground, a clubhouse and parking areas for cars and motorcycles.
    "We wanted it to be breathable and livable, so instead of the 30 percent minimum open space, we made it 40 percent for the quality of life of the occupants," Pineda said.
    He said the housing project is open to all Filipinos, adding that it will be affordable for everybody, especially the informal sectors.
    He also said a condominium unit is payable in 30 years, at P2,600 per month amortization in the first year and P3,600 per month in the following years.
    Mayor Carlos Lopez Jr. expressed his gratitude to DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar for approving the project.
    He also thanked Dept. of Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella 3rd for helping in the reclassification of the project site, which the town purchased many years back.
    Lopez said that the town has more than 3,000 backlogs in housing and some 1,000 families live under a bridge or within the irrigation line.
    Pangasinan 6th District Rep. Marlyn Primicias Agabas said that this was "so blessed."
    She said last Dec. 14, she and Lopez led the groundbreaking ceremony for a Regional Trial Court station for this town and neighboring San Manuel.
    She also said that a "super health center" will be built soon near the housing project after she requested it from the Dept. of Health.
    In addition, Agabas said, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority has allotted an initial P10 million for the construction of a new building.
    "It is our vision that this place will become a beautiful community. By 2025, after the first two buildings will rise, we should also start planning to build daycare centers for our children," Agabas said.
    "What we are doing now is history. In the future, they might have their own school," she added.
    Patanao said that the project will be completed in five years, with two buildings built every year.
    He said that for this project, they were just waiting for the beneficiary selection before its construction starts.
    Lopez said they have already approved 300 applicants, consisting of overseas Filipino workers, tricycle drivers, teachers and government employees.
 
 

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960 housing units set to be built in Asingan

By Hilda Austria

ASINGAN, Pangasinan – Groundbreaking for the construction of the first township project under the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program (4PH) in the Ilocos Region was held last week and construction is set in the first quarter of 2024.
    The vertical-style housing project will have 10 buildings within the 21,351 square meters of land in Barangay Carosucan Norte this town. Each of the four-story buildings will have 96 units of 27 sq.m. condo-type units.
    Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development 4PH regional focal person engineer Sherwin Patanao, in an interview, said the project is expected to be finished within five years, with the target to finish two buildings every year.
    “This is just the first phase of the project and we hope to build more,” he said.
DHSUD Undersecretary Emmanuel Pineda, in his speech during the ground-breaking ceremony, said the township project will have amenities such as a swimming pool and playground.
    “We wanted it to be breathable and liveable so instead of the 30 percent minimum open space, we made it to 40 percent for the quality of life of the occupants,” he said.
    Pineda said the housing project is open to all Filipinos and vowed that it will be affordable for everybody, especially the informal sectors.
    He said the housing unit is payable within 30 years, at P2,600 per month amortization on the first year and P3,600 per month in the following years.
    He said they are also preparing for the guidelines on the interest subsidy including the graduated amortization, wherein only a percent of the usual six percent interest on each housing unit will be shouldered by the buyer while the five percent will be subsidized by the government.
    Asingan Mayor Carlos Lopez Jr., in an interview, said the local government unit is grateful for the project as they have been working on availing a housing project for their town since 2016.
    “We have over 3,000 backlogs in housing, although only more than 1,000 are living under a bridge or within the irrigation line. But most families are living together under one roof as what most Filipinos do,” he said, citing as a factor to this the inability to pay for the mortgage.
    Lopez said they have already approved 300 applicants, some of whom are overseas Filipino workers, tricycle drivers, teachers, and local and national government employees. -- PNA

 

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4P housing project starts in Ilocos with 10 condo buildings

By Gabriel L. Cardinoza

ASINGAN, Pangasinan -- The first housing project in Region 1 (Ilocos Region) under the national government's Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4P) program was launched here on Dec. 15, in the farming village of Carosucan Norte.
    "This project consists of 10 four-story condominium buildings," said Sherwin Patanao, 4P regional focal person of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DSHUD), shortly after the groundbreaking ceremony here.
    "We are no longer developing horizontal housing projects because our agricultural areas are becoming smaller and smaller," Patanao added.
    The project will be built starting next year inside a 2.14-hectare area located about 1.5 kilometers from the Villasis-Asingan Road.
    Each condominium building will have 24 units in each floor, or a total of 96 units for every building. Each unit will have an area of 27 square meters.
    "So, there will be a total of 960 units. And this is just the first phase of the project," said Patanao.
    DHSUD Undersecretary Emmanuel Pineda said that the housing project will have a swimming pool, playground, a clubhouse and parking areas for cars and motorcycles.
    "We wanted it to be breathable and livable, so instead of the 30 percent minimum open space, we made it 40 percent for the quality of life of the occupants," Pineda said.
    He said the housing project is open to all Filipinos, adding that it will be affordable for everybody, especially the informal sectors.
    He also said a condominium unit is payable in 30 years, at P2,600 per month amortization in the first year and P3,600 per month in the following years.
    Mayor Carlos Lopez Jr. expressed his gratitude to DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar for approving the project.
    He also thanked Dept. of Agrarian Reform Secretary Conrado Estrella 3rd for helping in the reclassification of the project site, which the town purchased many years back.
    Lopez said that the town has more than 3,000 backlogs in housing and some 1,000 families live under a bridge or within the irrigation line.
    Pangasinan 6th District Rep. Marlyn Primicias Agabas said that this was "so blessed."
    She said that on December 14, she and Lopez led the groundbreaking ceremony for a Regional Trial Court station for this town and neighboring San Manuel.
    She also said that a "super health center" will be built soon near the housing project after she requested it from the Dept. of Health.
    In addition, Agabas said, the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority has allotted an initial P10 million for the construction of a new building.
    "It is our vision that this place will become a beautiful community. By 2025, after the first two buildings will rise, we should also start planning to build daycare centers for our children," Agabas said.
    "What we are doing now is history. In the future, they might have their own school," she added.
    Patanao said that the project will be completed in five years, with two buildings built every year.
    He said that for this project, they were just waiting for the beneficiary selection before its construction starts.
    Lopez said they have already approved 300 applicants, consisting of overseas Filipino workers, tricycle drivers, teachers and government employees.
 

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2.4K Ilocanos sign up for Laoag affordable housing

By Leilanie Adriano 

LAOAG CITY – About 2,400 individuals on Thursday signed up to avail of the low-cost housing project of the city government here and a property developer which is eyed to break ground in Barangay 31 Talingan this December with an initial 600 units.
    Baltazar Acapuyan Adra, 55, single, of Barangay Magnuang in Batac City, Ilocos Norte, and a former utility worker in the municipality of Paoay, in an interview Thursday, said that as soon as he learned about the implementation of the national government’s Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program in Laoag, he immediately inquired about it and signed up for the needed documents on the same day.
    “This is a good opportunity for me and my mother to have a house on our own,” Adra said, citing that the minimum P2,500 monthly amortization of the housing unit is within his budget.
    Miguel Puig, marketing officer of El Sands Residences, the property developer, told the Philippine News Agency that applicants would be assessed if they were qualified to avail of the program.

“Even low-income earners can avail of the program since the government, through the Pag-IBIG Fund, is giving a 5 percent subsidy to eligible applicants of the housing unit, which is payable in 30 years,” he said.

Launched in September 2022, the 4PH program is a government housing program being implemented by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development in collaboration with other government agencies to address some 6.5 million housing backlogs for the poor.

"I am very happy that we are the first in the entire region to implement this initiative of our beloved President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr.,” Laoag City Mayor Michael M. Keon said Wednesday following the signing of a memorandum of agreement with EL Construction & Development Group, Inc., the contractor and developer of the 106,000 square meter property in Talingaan village, which will be soon called EL Sands Residences.

The European-style housing project will be comprised of a total of 4,600 units spread across 46 five-story buildings, with each floor accommodating 20 units. -- PNA

 

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309 Ilocos Norte residents get housing aid from NHA

HOUSING AID. A resident of Laoag City, Ilocos Norte receives housing assistance from the National Housing Authority on Sept. 11, 2023. The NHA continued the distribution of housing aid to 309 recipients on Monday (Sept. 25). (Photo courtesy of NHA)

By Leilanie Adriano 

LAOAG CITY – The National Housing Authority (NHA) on Monday distributed over PHP3 million in financial assistance to victims of Super Typhoon Egay in Ilocos Norte.
    Jefferson Ganado, regional manager of the NHA, said some 309 recipients each received either PHP20,000 (for totally damaged houses) or P10,000 (partially damaged houses) at the San Nicolas Mini Cultural Center in San Nicolas town.
    The distribution activity is part of the Special Emergency Housing Assistance Program (EHAP) intended for the families most affected by Egay in July.
    The NHA said the release of the funding was delayed as they had to conduct on-site field validation of the damaged houses and request the beneficiaries, through their local government units, for submit photos of actual damage to their properties.
Egay brought widespread devastation during its three-day onslaught in Northern Luzon on July 26 to 28, bringing billions of pesos worth of damage to agriculture, infrastructure and housing.
    During the ceremonial distribution, Governor Matthew Joseph Manotoc said that aside from the housing assistance given by the NHA, all Ilocos Norte residents with damaged houses will also receive construction materials courtesy of the provincial government. 

The Ilocos Norte government has so far distributed almost 3,700 galvanized iron (GI) sheets.

During the Sept. 11 Marcos Day celebration, some 877 families with totally and partially damaged houses likewise received emergency housing assistance. -- PNA

 

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TESDA-Cordi, trainees help fix damaged schools

KADAMAY’. Personnel from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) Cordillera regional office and the Abra provincial office repair houses damaged by the July 2022 magnitude 7.0 earthquake in Abra, in this August 2022 photo. TESDA Cordillera said it intends to do another round of its “Kadamay Kalamidad” program to help repair school infrastructures damaged by Super Typhoon Egay. (Photo courtesy PIA-CAR FB)

By Liza Agoot 

BAGUIO CITY – The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) will be sending volunteers and its scholars to help prepare public schools for the opening of classes on Aug. 29 as part of the the Department of Education's ongoing “Brigada Eskwela.”
    TESDA-Cordillera assistant regional director and concurrent Abra provincial director Jimmicio Daoaten, in an interview on Tuesday, said that aside from their employees doing volunteer work, the agency also has ongoing training programs in the field of construction where scholar-trainees can be tapped to as part of their on-the-job training.
    “There are already some schools divisions of the DepEd in the Cordillera who have asked for assistance and we are responding to the call for help,” Daoaten said.
    He said they have a “training-cum-production” program where scholar-trainees are taught how to implement projects and a “community-based” scholarship program where trainees immerse themselves in the community to carry out projects.
    “They are supervised by their instructors to assure the quality of the job aside from the safety of the would-be occupants of the structure,” Daoaten said.
    The official said TESDA also has a “Kadamay Kalamidad” program which allows them to provide scholarships and skills training to affected families or people who can help these families.
    He said TESDA also sent volunteers to affected areas during past calamities, like the magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Abra last year.
    “We train people, we equip them with knowledge which skill can be used for a livelihood activity or to contribute in alleviating the sufferings of calamity victims. We support thru the training we give,” Daoaten said.

Aside from fixing structures, the TESDA can also give bread and pastry production -- to feed those who are working to fix the houses or to have an income from the sales of the produce. -- PNA

 

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GSIS housing scheme with no down payment for gov’t workers ok’d

By Wilnard Bacelonia 

Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) supports the government’s bid to provide affordable housing units through the three initiatives the state pension fund launched recently, GSIS president and general manager Wick Veloso said.
    In a news release on Thursday, GSIS identified these programs as the Lease with Option to Buy (LWOB), the Housing Accounts Restructuring and Condonation Program (HARCP), and the construction of low-cost housing units, including high-rise housing complexes in Fairview, Quezon City, and Cogeo, Antipolo. 
    It said LWOB allows government workers to buy some 15,000 residential properties owned by the GSIS nationwide without having to pay a down payment.
    On the other hand, HARCP has been extended until 2025 to allow more housing loan borrowers to pay their dues through waiver of penalties, and to extend partial discount on interest. 
    Relatively, the state-owned pension fund for government workers aims to complete over the medium term, the construction of new decent low-cost housing units, including high-rise housing complexes to be constructed in Fairview, Quezon City and in Cogeo, Antipolo which will be completed by 2025. 
     “GSIS has aligned its efforts to the President’s pabahay program,” Veloso said.
    “We are championing the right of every government employee to own a home. Our commitment is to create a significant impact and positive difference as we support the housing program and, at the same time, help the overall economy as construction of homes has a big multiplier effect. GSIS will do its part to support this program,” he added. -- PNA

 

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Pag-IBIG Fund offers P400-M calamity loan to Pangasinenses

By Hilda Austria

DAGUPAN CITY – The Pag-IBIG Fund on Thursday urged members residing or working in areas in Pangasinan that are under a state of calamity to avail of its calamity loan assistance as the program has around P400 million in available funds.
    Pag-IBIG Dagupan branch manager Corina Joyce Calaguin, in a virtual press conference hosted by the Philippine Information Agency Pangasinan on Thursday, said member-residents or employees in localities under state of calamity may avail of the short-term loan amounting to 80 percent of their total savings with Pag-IBIG.
    “Calamity loan may be used in the repair of their houses or whatever they need as it is intended to give them immediate assistance,” she said.
    She added the funding for the calamity assistance is ready and the residents may apply within 90 days from the declaration of their locality.
    The nine local government units that declared a state of calamity in Pangasinan are Dagupan City, Calasiao, Mangaldan, Mangatarem, Sta. Barbara, Binmaley, Lingayen, Bautista and Basista towns.
    Calaguin said members can apply over the counter at any Pag-IBIG branch, online through the Pag-IBIG mobile application, or through a collective application by their establishment or agency.
    She said the interest rate is only 5.95 percent per annum and payable for up to three years or 36 months.
“There is also a three-month grace period for the start of amortization after the loan was processed,” she added.

Meanwhile, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Pangasinan provincial office assured consumers on Thursday that it will be conducting price and supply monitoring of basic commodities in areas where the prize freeze is in effect.

DTI-Pangasinan provincial director Natalia Dalaten, during the same virtual conference, said no establishments have so far violated the price freeze.

“We based the price of basic commodities from the latest price monitoring report prior to the calamity,” she said.

She added the price freeze will last for 60 days after its declaration.

Dalaten also assured the public that the supply of basic commodities in these areas is adequate for the next three months. -- PNA

 

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DHSUD sets to give cash to ‘Egay’ North Luzon victims

By Aldwin Quitasol

BAGUIO CITY — The Dept. of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) is set to release of cash assistance for families who lost their homes following destruction wrought by Typhoon "Egay” in North Luzon.
    Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar ordered the release.
    The DHSUD recorded a total of 1,954 residential structures totally damaged by the typhoon, mostly from Regions 1, 2 and Cordillera Administrative Region.
    Acuzar in an emergency meeting directed Undersecretary Avelino Tolentino III and Undersecretary Randy Escolango to start downloading the fund to Regional Offices affected by the typhoon.
    The DHSUD Central Office is making available P23 million for the emergency assistance to residents whose houses were totally damaged.
    "We must focus our efforts now in assisting families who lost their homes. Let's expedite the delivery dahil kailangan na ito agad," Acuzar was quoted as saying.
    "Kailangan proactive lagi tayo sa pagtulong sa ating mga kababayan na naapektuhan ng bagyo...dapat maramdaman agad ang tulong at malasakit ng gobyerno," the DHSUD chief accordingly added.
    Sec. Acuzar also instructed DHSUD attached agencies, particularly the National Housing Authority (NHA) and the Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund to start providing assistance.
    Initially, the National Housing Authority (NHA) is also allotting P50 million from its emergency housing assistance program.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. announced last week the government will provide assistance to typhoon victims. 
Pag-IBIG Fund has also started offering calamity loans with lower interest rate per annum to "Egay" victims.
    "We will be working closely with local government units in the affected areas to ensure the timely and transparent delivery of our assistance," Acuzar noted. 
    The DHSUD which has already distributed 1,086 shelter-grade tarpaulins, and 600 solar lamps, has collaborated with the International Organization for Migration and the USAID for these efforts.

 

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Housing program set in Cordillera

TUBA, Benguet -- The Cordillera Administrative Region has officially set into motion its first housing project under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing Program last Wednesday.
    Mayors Benjamin Magalong of Baguio City, Clarita Sal-ongan of Tuba and Bernard Waclin of Itogon, on the other hand, represented the local government units in the area, along with their council members and representatives of government agencies and private partners.
    Aiming to further expand sustainable communities in the region, the project site — spanning 6.4 hectares — will allocate a solid 5-hectare area for shelter, and the rest for mixed-use development.
    In his statement, Acuzar expressed high hopes for the project in serving as a model urban development that promotes sustainable and progressive housing communities while protecting cultural heritage and natural resources.
     “As an advocate of striking a balance between progress and cultural preservation, I see this housing project to hopefully serve as a testament that we can achieve both, particularly in providing shelters for our brothers and sisters in the Cordillera,” Acuzar said.
    The 4PH program aims to build one million housing units per year until the end of the current administration’s term as a strategy to address the country’s housing backlog pegged at 6.5 million units.
    It also espouses township development that will provide home dwellers easy access to sources of livelihood and basic services, while transforming urban spaces toward resiliency and sustainability — all aligned with the mandate of DHSUD as the primary government agency responsible for the management of housing, human settlements and urban development.
    At present, the 4PH has tapped at least 143 local government units around the country to participate in the program.
    Also present during the groundbreaking ceremony were DHSUD Undersecretary Wilfredo Mallari, Assistant Secretaries Tiburcio Canlas, Daryll Bryan Villanueva and Krsnadasi De Leon and Regional Office-CAR director Maria Amoroso. -- TDT
 

Benguet and Baguio City local executives led the groundbreaking ceremony for a 6,400-unit shelter project here in Sitio Topinao, Barangay Poblacion with Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund chief executive officer Marilene Acosta representing Dept. of Human Settlements Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar.

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City council approves Baguio housing program

By Gaby B. Keith

BAGUIO CITY -- The City Council passed resolution  218, series of 2023, confirming memorandum of understanding (MOU) entered into by the city government of Baguio with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) for implementation here of Pambansang Pabahay Para Sa Pilipino Zero ISF (informal settler families) program for 2028.
    The local legislature considered a letter of Mayor Benjamin Magalong dated March 8, this year, forwarding the MOU between DHSUD represented by Sec. Jose Acuzar and Baguio City represented by the mayor to the local legislative body.
    The city council's committee on laws, human rights and justice, in its 2nd Indorsement dated March 22, 2023, recommended the MOU's formal ratification.
    The committee said the DHSUD recently issued department circular 2023-004 granting authority to the agency and local government units to implement measures to address their respective housing gaps under the 4PH program.
    It also provides each partner LGU will act as the lead proponent in the implementation of the housing projects under the program, and that LGUs must formulate local policies and programs to support and facilitate project financing, construction and property management.

 

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Baguio starts housing for informal settler families

BAGUIO CITY -- The city government here is now pushing a program for informal settler families have livable homes and communities.
    The city government entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Dept. of Human Settlements and Urban Development for the implementation of the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino: Zero Informal Settler Families (ISF) Program for 2028.
    The MOU was confirmed by the Baguio City Council during its regular session last March 27.
    Baguio City has been chosen as one of the implementing sites of the Zero ISF program. Through this program, the DHSUD targets to build one million housing units per year or a total of six million housing units in the span of six years.
    Under this, the city government shall identify and allocate parcels of land for the development of the housing projects for informal settlers.
    This program would supplement the housing projects of the city government that are in the pipeline.
    The city government, through these projects, envisions a healthy ecosystem for informal settlers wherein they can live, work, and thrive.
    The Luna Terraces Socialized Housing and Resettlement Project is the city government’s first housing project for informal settlers.

This project will prioritize the resettlement of informal settlers in the city who are underprivileged and those located in high risk areas.

Two buildings for this project are now under construction.

In his statement earlier this year, Mayor Benjamin Magalong said the city targets the construction of multi-level buildings that will accommodate 8,000-10,000 families in various sites.

The city is continually working on the acquisition of lots within and outside the city for its housing projects. -- Jordan G. Habbiling w/ reports from Aileen Refuerzo

 

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RDC pushes housing for Cordillera folks

By Legriv Vilee I. Marquez

BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera Regional Development Council is eying to provide housing needs for Cordillera folks.
    The  RDC’s housing subcommittee tackled the “Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH)” program of the Dept. of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) during its 1st quarter meeting on Feb. 13 here.
    As the administration’s flagship housing program, this program aims to narrow housing gap by constructing one million housing units annually until 2028.
    The proposed housing design unit size, and selling price of the socialized housing projects were presented.
    Aida Daiwey of the National Housing Authority said some beneficiaries refused the socialized housing units due to limited unit space which did not consider housing needs in the region.
    Lawyer Fritz Turqueza, representing the Provincial Government of Abra, urged more studies on livability of housing units.
    Daiwey said there was need to identify those who were previously catered to by other shelter agencies.
    Turqueza said databases of shelter agencies can be harmonized to create a master list of beneficiaries.
    She added this will hasten validation process and assist in formalizing certification of socialized housing unit owners.
    The subcommittee also tackled the measures against those who occupy socialized housing units despite having sufficient income for legitimate housing and persons who have been awarded housing units but sold, leased, or transferred the same.     Nenilu Cacas of DHSUD Cordillera urged local government units to establish local housing boards and strengthen resettlement monitoring function of each LHB.
    DHSUD regional director Maria Amoroso said they will continue consultations with target beneficiaries and stakeholders to ensure housing needs of individuals and households are taken into account.
    The Pambansang Pabahay program responds to establishing livable communities as one of the goals of the CAR Regional Development Plan for the next six years.
    The preparation of the RDP is headed by the National Economic Development Authority regional office in collaboration with the Regional Development Council and its stakeholders.

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NHA gives 50 houses to Nueva Vizcaya IPs unity

By Arlie O. Calalo

FIFTY houses were turned over by the National Housing Authority (NHA) to the Indigenous Peoples (IPs) in Dupax del Norte, Nueva Vizcaya.
    NHA General Manager Joeben Tai, represented by Regional Manager Ferdinand Sales during the turnover ceremony, said the latest allocation of housing units would only show that "the poorest of the poor are the priority of the national government."
    The NHA distributed the certifications of eligibility of lot allocations and led in the signing of the Deed of Donation and Acceptance with the immediate beneficiaries from the Bungkalot tribe in the town. Joining NHA were Dupax del Norte Mayor Timothy Joseph Cayton, Vice Mayor Victorino Prado Jr., and representatives from the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP).
    Tai said that the IP housing project in Dupax del Norte is proof of the NHA's relentless efforts to meet the housing needs of poor Filipino families.
    "I hope that during my term, we will be able to help address the housing needs, not only of the IP families but all the poor homeless Filipino families," said the NHA official, adding that the project is under the NHA Housing Assistance Program for Indigenous Peoples.
    The agreement for the construction of the housing units was signed by representatives from the NHA, local government unit (LGU), Bugkalot tribe and NCIP.
    Tai said the houses the NHA built are accustomed to the IPs' culture, customs, traditions, livelihood and symbols they observed.
    The NHA conducts regular consultations with the affected IP community, NCIP, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and concerned LGU in finding a suitable location for the IP housing sites — within their ancestral domain and near their farmlands.
    From the original P10 million funding assistance allocated to every IP project, the budget was increased to P20 million to cover land development, housing construction, and technical assistance.
    Tai said the P20 million funding is a grant to LGUs in coordination with NCIP and IP community, he said.
 
 

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Baguio housing project for slated 2,000 families

BAGUIO CITY – More than 2,000 families here would soon have houses they could call their own once a local government housing project in a newly acquired property is completed.
    Mayor Benjamin Magalong revealed that the city government of Baguio signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Housing, Settlement, and Urban Development (DHSUD) for the project.
    “We signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the DHSUD in the first week of January for the township development project of the lot in Tuba, Benguet,” stressed Mayor Magalong.
    He said the area is a 6.3-hectare property where structures with a total of 2,000 units will be constructed.
    “This will be the second socialized permaculture housing project with the Luna Terraces project in Irisan barangay that is ongoing completion,” said Magalong.
    He said the city’s target is multi-level housing buildings that will accommodate 8,000-10,000 families in various sites.

Magalong said the Luna Terraces project which was designed for ten buildings with a total of 260 units was also supported by the DHSUD and the National Housing Authority (NHA).

The DHSUD granted P155 million for the site development and the NHA provided P50 million for the construction of two buildings with 62 units and another P326.17 million for the completion of the eight remaining buildings.

The city government has announced that it is continuously accepting offers from lot owners for its housing projects.

The project is in keeping with the ‘Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program’ which is the flagship program of the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

The city’s concept of housing projects is permanent agriculture (permaculture) to achieve its goal of establishing a sustainable and livable community in line with the city’s thrust to address urban decay.

It also incorporates breathing and green spaces as part of the site.

The same concept will be adopted for the new project which is expected to break ground before the end of this month.

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Baguio. DHSUD ink pact for Tuba housing project

BAGUIO CITY -- Another housing project is in the pipeline for Baguio City residents in collaboration with the Dept. of Human Settlements and Urban Development.
    On January 5, Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Housing Secretary Jose Acuzar for a township development project of a lot in Tuba, Benguet, the second socialized permaculture housing project after the ongoing Luna Terraces project in Barangay Irisan in the City of Pines.
    According to Housing Undersecretary Avelino Tolentino III, the "MOU targets a 6.3-hectare township development (at a site in Tuba town) to benefit at least 2,000 beneficiaries."
    The project is in line with the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program, a flagship program of President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.
    Magalong profusely thanked the DHSUD for its consistent support to the Baguio City government's initatives to meet a housing backlog.
    Baguio City targets the construction of multi-level buildings that will accommodate 8,000-10,000 families in various sites. The city is continually working on the acquisition of lots for these housing projects.
    Magalong said the Luna Terraces project, which was designed for ten buildings with a total of 260 units, was also supported by the DHSUD and the National Housing Authority.   
    The DHSUD granted P155 million for the site development and the NHA provided P50 million for the construction of two buildings with 62 units and another P 326.17 million for the completion of the eight remaining buildings. It incorporates the permanent agriculture (permaculture) to achieve its goal of establishing a sustainable and livable community in line with the city’s thrust to address urban decay.
    The same concept will be adopted for the new project, which is expected to break ground before the end of January.

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Baguio gov’t to buy 1.4-hectare lot for city workers’ housing needs

BAGUIO CITY -- The city government is eying the purchase of a 1.4-hectare property in Pinsao Proper for the housing needs of City Hall employees.
    City Planning and Development Officer architect Donna R. Tabangin stated that the city government needs around P45 million to purchase this property from the land owner to jumpstart the implementation of the housing project for City Hall employees.
    However, she claimed that the housing project will not only be for City Hall employees but also for the open market for other individuals who could afford the low and medium rise condominium-type housing.
    Aside from the P45 million needed for the purchase of the said property, the city planning and development officer disclosed that the city government also needs another P63 million to purchase the adjacent property to be used as an access road leading to the housing project.
    Under the proposed housing for City Hall employees, some 13 low- to medium-rise condominium-type buildings will be constructed within the property which will provide a significant number of housing units for the interested recipients.
    Tabangin said that the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) will conduct a survey among City Hall employees on who are interested to avail of the housing units before these will be opened to other interested recipients outside the city government.
    She said the city needs around P254 million for the construction of the low to medium-rise condominium-type buildings in this property aside from the P110 million required for the site development.
    The housing units will be offered to qualified City Hall employees under a proposed 20-year payment period depending on the capacity of owners to pay the housing loan that will be coursed through the housing agencies.
Earlier, the city government called on land owners inside and outside the city to offer their properties for the city’s land banking that includes potential sites for housing projects for government workers, among others.
    Tabangin said considering enormous amount required for the realization of the housing project for government workers, the local government will try to refer the matter to the Dept. of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD) for funding support.
    Aside from the housing for government workers, the city government is also implementing the socialized housing project for qualified residents in barangay Irisan under the Luna Terraces Permaculture project which started the site development last year. -- Dexter A. See
 

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Baguio identifies informal settlers for housing needs

BAGUIO CITY -- The city government mapped about 60 percent of Baguio’s informal settlers on protected areas and identified city land needs to generate  registry as basis in identifying priority beneficiaries of future socialized housing projects.
    The City Planning and Development Office is leading the mapping of informal settlers in close coordination with several departments of the city government.
    This is in preparation for possible socialized housing developments in the city funded by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the National Housing Authority (NHA) similar to the ongoing construction of the Luna Terraces Housing project in Irisan with 270 units.
    Architect Donna Tabangin said they identified about 866 families living along fault lines, river and creek easements; 175 within the buffer zone of the Loakan Airport; 605 in Busol watershed; and, 277 families listed by the units of the City Social Welfare and Development Office.
    The lists will still be subjected to further assessment, validation and geo-tagging by the CPDO using the Geographic Information System (GIS) and digital twin which is a virtual representation of natural covers and structures.
    The list will be cross-matched on the data gathered through the community-based monitoring system project.
Tabangin said that they have been working with the barangays in data gathering of informal settlers in the city, however, certain barangays in the city refused to submit their list of informal settlers.
    The team is yet to assess and validate informal settlers within the public cemetery reservation, the slaughterhouse compound, the sewerage treatment plant area and other forest reservations and properties identified as city land needs.
    “We need to complete our registry of informal settlers in the city to serve as our basis in planning and identifying who are our priority beneficiaries on socialized housing projects. We hope that once we complete the registry of informal settlers, this will no longer increase,” Tabangin said.
    The NHA defines informal settler families as: those residing in danger areas such as waterways and road-rights-of-way; those to be displaced from sites earmarked for government infrastructure developments; those affected by calamities for relocation to safer areas; those subject of court orders for demolition and eviction.
    Section 16 Article V of Republic Act No. 7279 or the Urban and Development Act listed the following qualifications to be considered for housing assistance as: Filipino citizen of legal age; underprivileged and homeless citizen whose average monthly income or combined family income falls within the poverty threshold as defined by the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) at P168,108.00 per year for a family of five; does not own any real property whether in the urban or rural areas and must not have been a beneficiary of any government housing program except those in leasehold or rental arrangements; not professional squatter nor a member of a squatting syndicate; and, head of the family. – JMPS
 

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Homeless people

EDITORIAL

Homeless people exist. In other parts of the world, in either developed or developing countries, homelessness is a social problem, according to the United Nations.
    The UN has described homelessness as a serious violation of human dignity and a global problem, affecting people of all ages from all walks of life. In 2020, it reported some 1.6 billion people around the world live in inadequate housing conditions, with about 15 million forcefully evicted every year.
    Homelessness, the international body said, violates the Universal Declaration of Human Rights’ Article 1, a portion of which states “all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.” It also violated Article 22, which says: “Everyone, as a member of society, has the right to social security and is entitled to realization, through national effort and international co-operation and in accordance with the organization and resources of each State, of the economic, social and cultural rights indispensable for his dignity and the free development of his personality.”
    There are “approximately 4.5 million homeless people, including children, in the Philippines, which has a population of 106 million people,” according to the Borgen Project, a US-based nonprofit organization that tackles global poverty and hunger.
    “Homelessness in the Philippines is caused by a variety of reasons, including lost jobs, insufficient income or lack of a stable job, domestic violence and loss of home due to a natural disaster. The government and non-governmental organizations are working to address this issue,” read a portion of the Borgen Project’s report.
    Baguio City and the neighboring capital town of La Trinidad, Benguet has its homeless people mostly, those with mental problems. Although minimal, they roam the streets, shelter in sidewalks, overpasses and sleep on pavements and decrepit buildings.
    Homelessness is one issue local governments of Baguio, La Trinidad or other LGUs of Northern Luzon could look deeper into.
    Singapore, a model city, reportedly has homeless people despite its economic stature. There were about 921 to 1,050 homeless residents in 2019, according to the National University of Singapore’s Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy study.
    The Singaporean government is helping its homeless residents, and one of its ways of helping is by funding shelters and interim rental housing for homeless people to stay before they purchase their own flats from the state agency Housing and Development Board, propertyguru.com.sg reported last year.
    In moving towards progress, studies say, local governments must also make sure that voiceless and roofless residents who live on a day-to-day basis—most of whom survive on their own by scouring garbage bins and begging for food or money —are not neglected.

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Ifugao police give house cash to beneficiaries

ASIPULO, Ifugao – Provincial police to celebrate their class anniversary built a house and gave funds to beneficiaries.
    The Class of 2016 Makatindig and Matindig celebrated their 6th anniversary in service and chose poor beneficiaries of their ‘pabahay project’ and ‘kapwa ko sagot ko’ programs.
    The lucky beneficiary of the Philippine National Police’s programs in response to the Covid-19 was Rodolfo Pinkihan Sr., 64, a single parent with three children.
    He had been blind since he was four years old and lives in an old little house with broken rattan walls.
    The realization of the project was the result of class determination and camaraderie supported by Col. James Mangili, provincial director; Asipulo Municipal Police Station led by Lt. Jackson Nginhena and supportive communities of Barangay Haliap, Asipulo, Ifugao led by barangay captain Lawrence Putac.
    After ten days of hard work, the newly constructed concrete house worth P80,000 was turned over to Pinkihan, Sr. and family through a simple house blessing ceremony on July 15.
    Also part of their celebration was reaching out to unfortunate families in Aguinaldo town.
    On July 9, they helped three beneficiaries.
    First was Dalisa Nabban, 37, a single mother of five who works as a paddy field assistant.
    She received kitchen utensils, clothes, grocery packs and P1,000 cash.
    Other beneficiaries were Jun Polista 33, dialysis patient since 2021, who received grocery packs and P3,000 cash assistance for his medication, and Rhea Hither, 47, single parent with four children.
    Hither was diagnosed with invasive carcinoma, left breast cancer stage IV (pleural) effusion, pericardial effusion, lung, liver and brain),
    Hither, who underwent a series of major surgical operations, also received a grocery pack and P3,000 cash assistance and a total of P15,000 in total.

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