Binay returns from 10-day studies on housing in US

Manila, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay will return to the country today from 10-day studies in the United States, the Office of the Vice President (OVP) announced yesterday.

The OVP said Binay will be arriving at around 6:05 a.m. at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2 via Philippine Airlines flight PR 103.

 Binay, chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), left the country for the US last June 3 to study executive educational program on housing finance at the Wharton School in University of Pennsylvania.

Binay also held dialogues with Filipino communities in New York City, Washington, Philadelphia and Monterey.

 On June 5, Binay attended the flag raising and Independence Day parade of the Filipinos in New York City, the flag raising on June 12 in Washington and the Rizal Day celebration on June 17 in Monterey.

Binay said as HUDCC chairman, he intends to learn more about the housing sector and how the government could improve the delivery of housing services to poor Filipinos.

“I hope we would be able to apply the valuable lessons they would share as we strive to improve our housing system,” he said.

 Binay was joined by executives of key shelter agencies in the US.

The program, entitled “Housing Finance in a Changing Global Environment,” took up topics that range from housing policies to micro-financing for housing.

The Pag-Ibig fund, which is also chaired by Binay, vowed to provide some 3.6 million homes to needy Filipinos in the next ten years.