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Albay farmers to benefit from DAR-DHSUD housing project

By Lade Jean Kabagani

July 14, 2022, 8:22 pm

MANILA – The government is set to distribute about 200 units of bungalow-type houses to eligible farmer-beneficiaries in Guinobatan, Albay.

The provision of housing units for agrarian reform beneficiaries belonging to the Albay Dairy Farmers Multi-Purpose Cooperative is a joint undertaking of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

DAR 5 (Bicol) Officer in Charge Director Rodrigo Realubit said the houses would be constructed on a 2.6-hectare parcel of land, overlooking the majestic Mount Mayon in Barangay Upper Binogsacan.

The land was donated by the local government of Guinobatan.

“This initiative not only intends to provide the poor with a home but also to honor our unsung heroes – our farmers, who are among the most neglected sectors of our society,” Realubit said in a statement on Thursday.

The DAR said each 36-square-meter concrete house costs PHP520,000 and will be paid for by the farmers over a maximum of 25 years at only 2 percent to 3 percent annual interest.

It will have two bedrooms, one toilet with electricity and water connections, a granite kitchen, tiled floors, and completely painted interior and exterior walls.

Eligible members of the dairy cooperative with no houses will benefit from 170 housing units, while the remaining units will be made available to other low-income farmers in the area.

The project is anchored on DHSUD’s Building Adequate, Livable, Affordable, and Inclusive Filipino Communities or BALAI concept.

The DAR also pledged to provide livelihood opportunities for beneficiaries residing in the location.

Meanwhile, the DHSUD is committed to continuing the provision of safe, decent, and affordable housing units to all Filipinos.

For this year, the DHSUD said it is adamant to complete its priority housing projects and ramp up the housing production in line with the Philippine Development Plan and Sustainable Development Goals.

The DAR and DHSUD have inked a memorandum of understanding with 19 local government units on the construction of decent and affordable housing communities for farmers nationwide.

The signed pact aims to uplift farmers’ morale and empower the country’s overall agricultural industry. (PNA)

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