The Build, Better More (BBM) programs of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in the socialized housing sector have improved significantly, with amenities that only upper income class usually enjoy, Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez said June 4.
“Masaya ako dahil hindi lang pala tirahan ng pamilyang Pilipino ang itinayo natin dito. May basketball court, swimming pool, clubhouse, at iba pang amenities na dati’y makikita lang sa mga subdivision at condominium,” Romualdez said.
In his speech during the site visit to the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) housing project in San Mateo, Rizal, the leader of the 300-plus strong House of Representatives said there are 170,000 housing units being built in Metro Manila alone, and distributed among 55 locations.
This is on top of the thousands of housing units being undertaken in Luzon, Visayas, all the way to Mindanao, which includes the 20 ongoing projects currently in “various stages of construction and development,” as per Secretary Jerry Acuzar of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).
“This is the dream of our President: To provide housing for all Filipinos, to give them the dignity they deserve, for them to live a peaceful life in their chosen community where they have a decent livelihood and where everybody is safe from harm,” Romualdez said.
He said in a press release from his office that the national government remains on track with the original target of building one million housing units every year until Marcos’ six-year term ends in 2028, so as to fill the housing gap, or the 6.5-million backlog in housing units.
The Speaker assured that Congress – having the power of the purse – will always make sure that funds will be available to DHSUD’s projects, even if government financing institutions, like Pag-IBIG, already pledged P250 billion for the BBM socialized housing programs.
As of last month, Acuzar said that Pag-IBIG already released about P761.5 million to private contractors, who are now constructing four 4PH projects in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao, adding that even state-run banks, like Land Bank, and state pension funds GSIS and SSS, also made similar assurances. ||
