FARMERS’ HOMES. The Department of Agrarian Reform and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development sign an agreement on Wednesday (Dec. 4, 2019) for the building of resilient homes for farmers. DAR Secretary John Castriciones (2nd from right) said the move is part of President Rodrigo Duterte's order to uplift the lives of farmers. (PNA photo by Christine Cudis)
MANILA -- The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the newly-established Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) have signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on the provision of decent and affordable housing to farmers and farm workers.
In a media interview Wednesday, DAR Secretary John Castriciones said the plan, dubbed as Building Adequate, Livable, Affordable and Inclusive Filipino Communities Program (BALAI), stemmed from the pressing issue on “half-hearted farmers who would rather wish to work abroad than continue farming.”
“When you go to the countryside, you will see a lot of our farmers live in barung-barong. They would like to leave farming already kaya mas gusto nila mamasukan or mag abroad kasi their lives aren't improving (they would rather work abroad because their lives are not improving),” he said.
“Kapag ang pamilya ay may bahay siguradong mag iiba ang pananaw (If farmers have their own homes, they would change their perspectives), housing for the farmers might change the situation of our country. [As what the president said], the weakest link in our economy is the agricultural sector, most of the farmers are half-hearted,” he added.
The program is in compliance with the directive of President Rodrigo R. Duterte under Executive Order No. 5 issued on Oct. 11, 2016, ordering all government departments, among others, to have their plans consistent with “Ambisyon Natin 2040”.
The DSHUD will act as the primary national government entity responsible for the management of housing, human settlements, and urban development, primarily focusing on the access to and the affordability of basic human needs.
DSHUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said the department shall develop and adopt a national strategy to immediately address the provision of adequate and affordable housing to all Filipinos.
Lawyer Emily Padilla, Agrarian Reform Undersecretary for Support and Services, said the proposed housing plan for the farmers is designed by the United Architects of the Philippines and Philippine Institute of Architects.
The cost of the proposed housing units, that were designed to be disaster resilient, range from PHP250,000 to PHP580,000. However, the farmers can design their own houses according to their preferences and at any cost, she added.
“There are six pilot areas for the project including Bayombong, Nueva Vizcaya; San Leonardo, Nueva Ecija; Tuy, Batangas; Daet, Camarines Norte; Argao, Cebu; and Davao City,” she said.
The farmer-beneficiaries will apply for housing loans in Pag-IBIG payable in the maximum period of 30 years.
She also called on other farmers to enlist in the Registry System for Basic Sectors in Agriculture (RSBSA) and join organizations to access agriculture-related programs and services, including the Rice Competitiveness Enhancement Fund (RCEF) to keep abreast of government programs and projects. (PNA)
