THE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) said it is looking to speed up the construction of housing units in the capital region to address the high number of informal settlers, it said on Sunday.
“Here at NCR (National Capital Region), we have already started several 4PH projects. These will be monitored so they are fast-tracked, as we prioritize the many informal settler families,” DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino L. Acuzar said in a statement on Sunday.
The agency has two housing projects in Caloocan City, and a few others in the cities of Manila, San Juan, and Quezon City.
There are about 3.7 million informal settler families in the country, half of which live in slums and high-risk areas in Metro Manila, according to a 2023 report by UN-Habitat.
The Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) Housing Program, the Marcos administration’s flagship housing program, seeks to provide low-cost housing units to the poor and homeless.
Last year, the DHSUD slashed its original six-million target houses built by half to just three million by 2028 amid delays in construction and processing of bank loans.
Despite this, Mr. Acuzar remains optimistic with the ongoing construction of 4PH projects.
“While we are facilitating the turnover of finished 4PH buildings, the construction of our other projects are ongoing,” he said in Filipino, citing the completed buildings as “proof of concept” for the state’s housing program.
Outside the Philippine capital, the government has started the turnover of new housing units in the cities of Palayan and Bacolod.
Meanwhile, completed 4PH projects include those in San Mateo, Rizal, San Fernando City in Pampanga, Davao City, and Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental. These are now being prepared for turnover, the agency said.
In Pasay City, a staging area will temporarily shelter informal settler families while waiting for the turnover of their respective housing units.
Other local governments in Metro Manila have also shown intent to join the 4PH program, including Pasig, Muntinlupa, Mandaluyong, Marikina, Navotas, Parañaque, Valenzuela and Malabon. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz
