Housing for Cordi folks eyed; cheap lands being identified

By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – The Cordillera will have a share from the national government’s housing projects once concerned local government will be able to identity cheap but suitable lands for the purpose, Vice President Jejomar C. Binay said here Thursday.

            

“Baguio City and the neighboring towns of La Trinidad, Itogon, Sablan, Tuba and Tublay must closely work together in identifying suitable sites where we could put up affordable housing projects for our people,” Binay told Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan during a meeting.

            

Because of the rapid urbanization of the said areas which is being triggered by in-migration, Vice President Binay said the establishment of affordable housing projects must go with the trend of the times to cope with the increasing demand for housing in order to avert the proliferation of informal settlers that would complicate the problems of concerned local governments.

            

Once the concerned local governments will be able to identify suitable areas for housing projects, he assured local officials and prospective beneficiaries that the national government will do its part for the realization of establishing housing projects to be acquired by the people through the assistance of housing agencies.

            

Binay expressed support to the realization of the Metro Baguio growth concept or the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (BLISTT) growth area in order to cater to the needs of housing units for the people that are flocking to the urban centers to seek for greener pasture.

            

According to Vice President Binay, the cooperation of local governments in the identification of suitable and affordable sites for housing projects is important because it will guarantee the fastracked implementation of the housing projects in order to prevent the proliferation of informal settlers that would add up to the problems of urbanization.

            

Binay assured local officials in the Cordillera that the housing agencies have sufficient funds to be disposed for housing projects but what is important is for the local governments to be able to pinpoint suitable areas where the housing units will be constructed.

            

“It is important for a family to own a house because it would translate to around 30 percent savings on their usual monthly expense,” Binay stressed, citing that the national government is steadfast in putting up affordable housing projects in the countryside for the benefit of Filipinos wanting to own a house for their family.

            

Considering that Baguio is already overcrowded because of the sudden surge of migrants from both the highlands and the lowlands, Binay explained the realization of the Metro Baguio concept would ease the burden on the city’s limited land area compared to the available lands for housing in the neighboring towns of Benguet.

            

He directed local officials to immediately submit to his office the identified lands for housing projects so that he will be able to give specific instructions to his technical personnel to assess and evaluate the suitability of the properties before the national government will purchase the same for the put up of the necessary housing projects.