PAMBANSANG PABAHAY. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. (right) leads the groundbreaking of the “Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino” housing project in Heroes Ville in Barangay Gaya-Gaya, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan on April 19, 2023. During his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday (July 24, 2023) Marcos vowed to expand the administration’s flagship 4PH to provide affordable housing to millions of homeless Filipinos. (PNA file photo)
MANILA – President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Monday vowed to expand the administration’s flagship “Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing Program” (4PH) to provide affordable housing to millions of homeless Filipinos.
“Papalawigin pa natin ang ating programa sa abot-kayang pabahay, lalo na para sa mga mahihirap nating kababayan (We will further expand the affordable housing program, especially for our poor countrymen),” Marcos said in his second State of the Nation Address (SONA) during the Joint Session of Congress at the Batasang Pambansa Complex in Quezon City.
“Nagkaroon na tayo ng groundbreaking sa dalawampu’t limang lugar sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng bansa. Nagpirmahan na rin ng mga kasunduan upang simulan ang mga proyekto sa mahigit isandaang lokasyon! Kung susumahin natin ito, mahigit isang milyong kabahayan ang maiaalay natin sa ating mga kababayan sa buong bansa (We have already broken ground in 25 areas in various parts of the country. We have already signed the agreements to start the projects in more than a hundred locations. If we sum these all up, we will be offering more than a million houses to our countrymen across the country),” he said.
Launched in September last year, the 4PH program aims to address the country’s 6.5 million housing needs by building 1 million units annually until 2028.
According to data, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has signed memoranda of understanding with 155 local government units around the country and has broken ground in 28 housing projects as of June 30.
In April, the President said his administration is currently building 1.2 million housing units.
These projects are touted to become model communities that will provide not only shelters to beneficiaries but also opportunities for social and economic growth.
Aside from providing roofs for families, the flagship housing project is also expected to generate about 1.7 million jobs every year from 2023 to 2028.
Whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach
Marcos, however, emphasized that a social issue like the housing problem in the Philippines can only be addressed through a “whole-of-nation and whole-of-society approach.”
“Collaboration is the key: between and among government offices; between government and the private sector; between industries and the academe; between government and international partners. And most importantly, collaboration between and among our populace,” he said.
“Kakailanganin natin ang tulong at kakayahan ng buong pamahalaan at ng buong bansa (We need the support and expertise of the whole government and the whole nation),” the President said.
The whole-of-nation approach is embodied in Executive Order 34 that Marcos signed on July 17, which declared the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program as his administration’s flagship program to ensure the success of the affordable housing initiative.
The DHSUD, as the primary government entity responsible for the management of housing and human settlements nationwide, will serve as the lead implementing agency of 4PH.
Under EO 34, the national government agencies (NGAs), local government units (LGUs), and other government entities are directed to provide full support and cooperation to the DHSUD.
Heart for the poor
DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar earlier lauded President Marcos’ EO 34 as “a pro-poor measure that could spell the difference in addressing homelessness.”
EO 34 also empowers the DHSUD to identify national and local government lands that are “suitable for housing and human settlements, including new townships and estates development, in coordination with concerned government agencies and local government units (LGUs).”
Acuzar said the allocation of idle government lands for housing would further bolster the ongoing nationwide implementation of 4PH and would have a direct positive impact on poor Filipinos, informal settler families, and the homeless.
“Patunay po ito na ang puso ng ating mahal na Pangulong Bongbong Marcos ay nasa mahihirap na Pilipino (This proves that President Marcos’ heart is with the poor Filipinos),” he said.
Hands-on President
Acuzar also said President Marcos is very focused and hands-on in monitoring the progress of the 4PH.
He narrated that almost every week, the Presidential Management Staff (PMS) has been asking the DHSUD for progress reports on housing projects.
He said another testament of the President’s focus and dedication to look after the welfare of homeless Filipinos through the 4PH Program is his untiring efforts to inspect ongoing housing programs and be present in groundbreaking ceremonies across the country.
“PBBM’s commitment, as we have seen in his presence, continues to inspire us at DHSUD to give it our best. I cannot overemphasize the value of this in boosting our morale to better serve the Filipino people,” Acuzar said.
But more than anything else, President Marcos is looking forward to the day when he would inaugurate and award the finished houses to their intended beneficiaries.
Marcos made this clear during his site inspection of the 4PH project in San Fernando, Pampanga on July 3.
“Marami na po tayong groundbreaking ceremonies na nasimulan. Ang site inspection na ito ay parte lamang ng proseso upang matiyak natin na maitayo ang mga Pambansang Pabahay Para sa mga Pilipino (We have already had a lot of groundbreaking ceremonies. This site inspection is just part of the process to ensure the implementation of the 4PH),” he said during his speech.
“Bale tinutukso ko ‘yung ating butihing Kalihim ng DHSUD, sinasabi ko sa kanya, ‘Panay ang groundbreaking natin baka hanggang diyan na lang ‘yan.’ Ika niya, ‘Hindi, pagka mayroon na tayong ipapakita, dadalhin kita doon para makita mo na talagang may tumatayo. Mukha namang totoo ang kanyang sinabi (I am teasing our good DHSUD secretary, and I told him ‘We are always breaking ground, it might end up to be just that.’ He said ‘No, if we already have something to show, I will take you there so you will see that they are truly being built.’ It looks like he is telling truth.” (PNA)
