De Venecia’s pro-housing stance ‘big plus’

Charlie V. Gorayeb (National President, Chamber of Real Estate & Builders Associations)

It’s farthest from CREBA’s mind to get embroiled in whatever controversy is brewing over the speakership issue in the House of Representatives. But, on the other hand, with the problem of homelessness looming large on our agenda, we can only recall and appreciate the pro-housing stance, call it bias, of former Speaker Jose de Venecia during his incumbency under a previous administration. It so happens that this time around, he is again aspiring for the top House post.

Look at two pieces of legislation, now virtually landmark pieces of legislation, that were enacted during De Venecia’s tenure as the chamber’s top honcho a few years back. These were the Comprehensive Integrated Shelter Financing Act and the amendment to the charter of the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund), which restored its mandatory coverage and strengthened the pension fund’s capability to assist in the provision of housing to its low and middle-income members. These laws were at the time a big help in the government’s effort to cope with the increasing national backlog of housing units.

Congressman De Venecia isn’t claiming authorship of those laws that sought to boost housing development, especially for the homeless underprivileged families. But, as Speaker, De Venecia certainly did a no mean job to ensure their passage in an environment of conflicting and competing interests. And we are sure that these were not the only matters that he worked hand for. De Venecia was concerned, we remember, with urban development and minimizing mass poverty in the country. The spate of laws that came out of Congress then focused on political, social and economic development, but he didn’t crow aloud about them, as would be customary for politicians.

Now comes Mr. De Venecia preaching about what he called "An Anti-Poverty Action Plan" which he says seeks to revive economic recovery and envisions a seven percent economic growth for the next seven years. He said the action plan aims to concentrate on fighting mass poverty and enable millions of Filipinos to cross over into the middle class by the year 2010.

De Venecia’s action plan recalls his effort in 1992 when, as a first-time speaker, he led the House in enacting political and economic reform measures under the Ramos administration to alter the country’s image as the "Sick Man of Asia." Many will agree that, again, the Philippines is "a sick man," hounded by a host of ills. At present, De Venecia a trapo politician to his enemies and ill-wishers, is at it again, rolling up his sleeves and coming up with an action plan to help President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s administration in alleviating mass poverty. It somehow shows the kind of man he is.

Above all else, however, it’s his pro-housing advocacy that has caught our attention and drawn our administration. He is proposing a housing finance program that will make it possible to produce some 400,000 housing units yearly as a measure of effectively coping with the increasing backlog of units. For he knows only too well the impact of housing development not only as a means of responding to the shelter needs of the great majority of the populace, but also as a growth impetus to overall economic advancement. That’s how important a comprehensive and viable housing program is to our country.

Obviously showing a balance approach to the nation’s problems, De Venecia also called for adopting a system that would irrigate some 1.5 million hectares of agricultural land to perk up the farm sector which constitutes about half of the nation. At a time like this, the government should really do everything it can to spur productive activities in as many sectors as possible to re-energize the economy and in the process creating more employment opportunities for our people.

We aren’t saying that only Congressman De Venecia, if he wins the confidence of his peers in the House, could help the government in a passage of vital legislation. But, with his experience, consuming passion, and ability to touch base with practically every sector, De Venecia will certainly make for one of the Macapagal-Arroyo governmetn’s effective leaders in any program to confront the complex issues and difficult problems of the day.