By the way the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) explained last week to local officials, the Marcos administration’s bid to reduce the six-million-unit housing backlog in the country would involve local government units.
DHSUD Bicol Regional Director Atty. Richard Manila thus made it clear that LGUs, with guidance from the department, would identify the Informal Settler Families (ISFs) who will be the beneficiaries of the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino program launched this year with an initial P500 billion funding.
In contrast, only P500 million has been allocated by the government as operational support for the Socialized Housing Financing Corporation (SHFC), the identified funding agency of the Pagmacolog subdivision project.
The briefing presentation itself had on one slide the list of areas where the initial one million housing units would be built during the program’s first year and among them is a project dubbed Catanduanes Coastal Line.
Unfortunately, the Tribune was not at the Capitol meeting of the DSHUD with the local chief executives and thus was not able to learn what exactly comprises the Catanduanes Coastal Line housing project.
It was not exactly clear how many of the estimated 21,000 Catandunganon families who do not own a house and lot would benefit from the Pabahay program this year as part of the 60,000 units allocated to the entire Bicol region.
What is undeniable is that, if implemented to the letter, the Pambansang Pabahay program, with its one percent (1%) preferential interest rate for the poorest of the poor who make up the ISF population, is a better alternative to existing and past housing programs.
Compared to the P3,827 per month amortization over a period of 20 years for the government’s Socialized Housing Program, a family would need to pay just P1,912 monthly for 30 years for a row house in the new program.
Duplex houses and condominium units will also be available at low monthly payments of P2,637 and P3,538, respectively.
And even those who are not informal settlers will be allowed to purchase housing units, after the allocations for ISFs are filled.
The DHSUD deems the participation of the LGUs as indispensable, as it would be the local officials, under the guidance of the housing department, who will identify the ISF beneficiaries.
Under the partnership between the private sector, LGUs and the national government envisioned under Zero ISF 2028, blighted areas for mixed-use development will be identified by the concerned LGU and DSHUD.
Private properties with Informal Settler Families will be acquired by the LGU or DSHUD through direct purchase or expropriation while for government-owned properties with ISF, preparations for mixed-use development will proceed accordingly, it was explained.
Once a Memorandum of Understanding is executed between the LGU and DHSUD, it will be the LGUs which shall identify the land and carry out the beneficiary listing which shall include, but not limited to, social preparation, ISF census enumeration, socio-economic profiling, and the establishment of social parameters.
This could take a while especially if the LGU concerned has not previously identified informal settlers and properties with ISFs within its territorial jurisdiction.
But what is sure as rain during the typhoon season is that the middle-class families who have yet to own their homes have a better chance to get one at the proposed Catanduanes Coastal Line housing.
With informal settlers in the capital town among the beneficiaries of the National Housing Authority’s on-going resettlement project at San Isidro Village and the soon-to-be-revived housing project at Sto. Domingo, their numbers will be significantly reduced.
This will leave a considerable number of slots for the Pambansang Pabahay for members of the public who do not belong to the ISF sector.
With Catanduanes’ inclusion in the list of priority areas, local governments here should not hesitate to execute that all-important MOU with DHSUD lest they miss out on the opportunity to really serve their homeless constituents.