Marikina, DHSUD break ground for housing project

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the Marikina City Government conducted on Friday a groundbreaking ceremony for the construction of a housing project in the city.

Led by Mayor Marcelino “Marcy” Teodoro and DHSUD Secretary Jose Acuzar, the ceremony signals the start of the establishment of the “Bagong Sibol Housing Project” which is set to rise in Barangay Nangka in Marikina City.

“Lalagyan po namin ng eskwelahan ito. Lalagyan ng maliit na hospital. Lalagyan namin ng palengke. Lalagyan namin ng konting livelihood program ito para sa maitutulong ng national government,” said Acuzar in Dano Tingcungco’s report on “24 Oras”.

(We will put up a school there and a small hospital. We will also include a market and a livelihood program so the national government can help.)

“Ito po ang pagkakataon na po ng bawat Pilipino na magkaroon ng bahay kaya kailangan yung advantage na ito, kailangan kunin po nila,” he said.

(It is an opportunity for Filipinos to have their own house that’s why they should take advantage of this.)

According to Acuzar, the project is part of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s vow to provide six million houses for Filipino families under the “Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program”.

The program aims to build one million houses every year until the end of the President’s six-year term as part of efforts to address the country’s 6.5 million backlog in housing requirements.

The DHSUD Chief said the administration’s current project is different from the programs of previous administrations because the houses will be offered at lower rates and constructed in cities where the beneficiaries are working.

“Yung minimum wage [earners] po sigurado magkakaron ng bahay. Kasi instead na ang bayad ay P7,000 magiging P3,000 lang. Kasi po nilagayan po ng gobyerno ng interest subsidy. Instead of 6%, naging 1% na lang ang babayarang patong,” said Acuzar.

(Minimum wage earners can surely avail of housing units. Because instead of P7,000, they will only pay P3,000 due to the interest subsidy the government implemented. Instead of 6%, they will only pay 1% interest.)

To recall, the first groundbreaking ceremony for the project was conducted in Batasan Hills in Quezon City for the establishment of medium-rise housing with 14,000 units.

Other local government units (LGUs) that have signed the memorandum of understanding (MOU) are Mariveles, Bataan, Bacolod, Roxas, Iloilo, and Cebu.

The DHSUD said it is currently coordinating with other LGUs for the implementation of the program, adding local officials will identify the qualified beneficiaries of the housing units. -- Sundy Locus/BAP, GMA News