The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) is seeking the help of its private partners to fulfill the government’s commitment of addressing the 6.5 million housing backlog.
“The government cannot do it alone. We need the support of all stakeholders. We need private partners including CREBA (Chamber of Real Estate Builders’ Association Inc.) and other developers’ groups,” DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar said during CREBA’s annual convention in Clark, Pampanga on Friday.
“Now more than ever, we need to work together, we need to unite, collaborate and continuously engage to ensure we complement each other’s efforts,” he added.
Acuzar acknowledged the key role of the private sector in ensuring the effective implementation of the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program (4PH), the flagship housing program of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s administration.
The DHSUD’s 4PH Program aims to prioritize informal settler families and individuals earning between PHP16,000 and PHP17,000 per month only.
The agency’s original plan is to build six million housing units by 2028, but later on slashed by half its target for the 4PH Program to just three million units.
Acuzar said partner-developers faced challenges in executing the 4PH Program but remain determined to produce more units to contribute to the government’s goal of addressing the housing gaps.
“Together, let us turn these challenges into opportunities toward our shared goal of providing safe, decent yet affordable shelters to Filipinos in sustainable communities patungo sa mas maunlad at mas matatag na Bagong Pilipinas (towards a more developed and stronger New Philippines),” Acuzar said.
Acuzar praised CREBA for its unceasing efforts to collaborate with the Marcos administration in achieving its goal.
He expressed his full support to CREBA’s initiatives in mobilizing its members toward making a difference in the housing and urban development sector.
In August this year, Marcos ordered an adjustment to the DHSUD’s housing target, saying the new plan should be based on “need and demand.” (PNA)