SHELTER PROGRAM. President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. talks to the recipients of 1,380 units at the St. Gregory Homes Project in Barangay Panghulo, Malabon City on March 27, 2023. The President personally awarded the certificates of eligibility of lot allocation to informal settler families living along Malabon waterways and danger zones, and those affected by the construction of Department of Public Works and Highways pumping stations. (PNA photo by Rey Baniquet)
MANILA – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Friday said the government’s initiative to build 170,000 housing units in the National Capital Region (NCR) would solve the pressing issues faced by informal settler families (ISFs).
In a statement, the CHR noted the ISFs in the NCR experience inadequate housing and internal displacement faced by vulnerable communities.
According to the United Nations Habitat, the country has an estimated 3.7 million ISFs, with 500,000 of them living in slums and high-risk areas of Metro Manila by 2023.
Chief executives of local government units in the NCR were tasked to create an inventory of ISFs and government-owned open spaces in their respective areas to serve as temporary relocation sites while housing units are being built.
“The Commission reaffirms that decent housing is a fundamental right of everyone. As enshrined in Article XIII, Section 9 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution, “ the CHR said.
Under the Constitution, the State shall make a continuing program of urban land reform and housing which will make available at affordable cost, decent housing and basic services to underprivileged and homeless citizens in urban centers and resettlement areas.
“We note the government’s initiative, particularly the relevant agencies, to institutionalize a program that incorporates grassroots and human rights-based approaches to efficiently plan, implement, and monitor ISF housing programs,” the CHR said.
The CHR expressed hope that the program would be expanded to other parts of the country, particularly rural areas that require adequate housing. (PNA)
