Solons call for bigger budget for housing department

Lawmakers on Thursday called for an augmentation on the proposed budget of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) for next year in order to meet its target number of housing units for the poor and informal settlers.

During the House appropriations panel deliberations on the DHSUD budget, it was revealed that the Department of Budget and Management only approved P3.68 billion for the housing department, which is only 5.17% of its original proposed budget of P77.06 billion.

Of this amount, only P2 billion is allocated for the National Housing Authority.

The proposed P3.68 billion is also lower than DHSUD's allocation under the 2020 General Appropriations Act of about P7.83 billion.

DHSUD Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario expressed concern over the "alarmingly" low allocations that the housing agencies have been receiving every year.

He said they are only trying to make do by strategizing and to still meet their targets.

"We are supposed to accomplish 1.4 million housing units for the informal settler families from 2017 to 2022, for a period of five years. So far we are averaging about 200,000 housing units every year," he said.

"Of course, the housing department is largely dependent on the budget allocation. But by using our financial component of the national shelter program, by utilizing the resources of the Pag-ibig fund, the Social Housing Finance Corp., and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp., we are somehow hitting close to our target of about 87% to 90%," he added.

Cavite Representative Strike Revilla expressed the need to give more budget for the DHSUD so that more informal settler families could finally have their own homes.

"This representation strongly supports the proposed 2021 budget for the DHSUD at mariin ko ring hinihiling sa ating mga kasama dito ay kung maaari ay madagdagan ang budget nito," he said.

"Alam natin na may programang Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa ang ating mahal na Pangulo na tingin ko kailangang mabudgetan ito dahil ito ang makakatulong sa ating mga kababayan na bumalik na sa kanilang mga probinsya na wala pa ring permanenteng tirahan," he added.

Iloilo City Representative Julienne Baronda echoed Revilla's sentiment, pointing out the DHSUD and its key agencies' important role in carrying out the government's national shelter program.

"Napakaliit at napakasakit sa lahat ng departamento, only .08% sa pondo sa national ang nailalaan sa departamento niyo. Very basic human need ang shelter," she said.

"I believe that this department deserves more.... We have to restore the budget of the DHSUD," she added.

The House appropriations panel has terminated the budget deliberations for the DA, which means it can now be discussed in the plenary. —KBK, GMA News