TRECE MARTIRES CITY, Cavite, Philippines – President Aquino yesterday turned over some 1,500 housing units for members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The units are part of the government’s 21,800 houses that are being targeted for distribution by the National Housing Authority (NHA) under general manager Chito Cruz and Vice President Jejomar Binay, who heads the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC).
Housing units in this city are located in Barangay Luciano, a kilometer away from city hall, and stand on a 10-hectare property called Ciudad Adelina 2, primarily developed by Eddmari Construction and Trading Corp.
In a speech, Aquino said the government is on track in its housing target. He said uniformed women are increasingly expressing interest in the housing project, with some 4,000 of them now included in a list of the NHA.
Aquino said the government is assessing whether teachers can also avail themselves of the same privileges given to uniformed personnel, because they still have to take into consideration that there are 1.6 million state workers.
Around P10 billion, according to Aquino, had been allocated for informal settlers, primarily because they don’t have fixed income, compared to other government workers who can avail of housing loans from government financial institutions.
The President said this housing project will be a full community shortly after the school year ends in March, where there will be a three-story, 15-classroom building, health center and day care center, police station, basketball court and tricycle terminal.
Aquino launched in May 2010 the housing project for AFP and PNP.
The 21,800 units that will be turned over are located in the following sites: 9,000 units in four sites in San Jose del Monte, Bocaue and Norzagaray in Bulacan; 4,274 units in three sites located in Biñan and Calamba, Laguna; 4,526 units in four sites in General Trias and Trece Martires here in Cavite; and 4,000 units in two sites in Baras and Rodriguez in Rizal province.
Other AFP and PNP housing sites are being identified in other parts of Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao as part of Phase 2 of the housing program for the uniformed men and women.
Completed units were raffled off to qualified applicants by AFP/PNP house boards.
AFP modernization
Meanwhile, President Aquino declared that he managed to release P28 billion for the AFP modernization program in the past 17 months of his administration, compared to the P33 billion for the last 15 years.
He even boasted that the P28-billion allocation is nearing that of his three predecessors for the last 15 years – among them Arroyo (who served nine years), Estrada (two years) and Ramos (six years).
He also mentioned the government’s acquisition of a Hamilton-class cutter, now known as BRP Gregorio del Pilar, adding that another one is forthcoming to enable the AFP to defend the country’s territory.
Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin earlier bragged that the AFP modernization, from the time it started in 1995 during the time of Ramos, made a big leap after nearly two years of the Aquino administration.