For housing, relocation NHA offers partnership with LGUs

CEBU, Philippines - Local government units that wish to provide relocation sites for informal settlers can now partner with the National Housing Authority (NHA) through the latter’s Resettlement Assistance Program.

This was announced by Nancy Binay Angeles, daughter of Vice President Jejomar Binay during the “Strengthening Local Government Units in Housing Delivery and Local Development Planning” at the Radisson Blu Hotel yesterday. At least 90 mayors from Central Visayas attended the event.

Nancy read her father’s speech during the event.

Under the program, the local government would provide the land while NHA would provide funding for site development. This would be undertaken through a joint venture arrangement. LGUs that want to acquire land for their housing projects can also avail of the Localized Community Mortgage Program.

Under this program, the budget of the LGU may be supplemented by funds from the Social Housing Finance Corporation equivalent to 75 percent of the project cost.

“We will develop an investment-friendly business climate for the housing sector and encourage strong private sector support in the implementation of localized housing projects for the poor,” Binay said.

The vice president also challenged private housing developers to partner with the LGU’s in developing ide and underutilized government lands as the mode for complying with the 20 percent balance housing requirement.

“With such vision, with our partnership, I believe there can be no more effective weapons and equipment in waging the battle for housing, the battle for a better life for the poor,” the speech reads.

Binay, chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, was not able to attend the event as he was called to Malacañang for some important matter.

But in his speech, Binay said the government will pursue the implementation of sustainable communities under a Public Private Partnership scheme, starting with the development of proclaimed sites for housing.

To make housing affordable to certain beneficiaries, Binay said he will initiate usufructuary arrangement, an alternative mode of land disposition for housing that would reduce cost by eliminating the price of land from the cost of development.

Binay likewise invited the mayors to join him in the campaign to provide shelter for those that do not own houses because “a roof over one’s head and home for one’s family is one’s own monument of self-respect and the start of one’s journey away from poverty.”

HUDCC’s Pabahay Caravan is a way of coming to the doorstep of every local government unit to offer the partnership of the national government in bringing the benefits of home ownership to the local constituents.

Both Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama support the housing program.

Also yesterday, the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board led other attached shelter agencies in launching the “Pabahay Caravan” in Cebu City.

Garcia said the partnership between the national and LGUs spare more benefits and improvements. The Local Government Code mandates that the delivery of housing services is primarily focused on the responsibilities of LGUs. —(FREEMAN)