JDV backs CREBA’s total housing approach

National President Chamber of Real Estate & Buildings Associations

Right off, we can’t help but exclaim Hurrah! And execute a hearty salute to Rep. Jose de Venecia. The country has found in Congressman De Venecia a true champion in the provision of housing who is expected to push with all the might at his command for a sustainable program, aimed at aggressively responding to the nation’s crisis of homelessness.

For the great news is that JDV, as some friends call him, has come out in strong support of the CREBA package of housing program reforms under a proposed Omnibus Housing and Urban Development Act that will address the critical housing problem in its totality.

The omnibus measure provides for essential measures dealing with four major aspects of housing and land development – finance, production, regulation and administrative structures. Thus, the measure seeks to establish a centralized homebuyer financing program as a permanent viable scheme, the necessary administrative infrastructure through a Department of Housing and Urban Development, a land access policy to resolve land jurisdiction issues that affect housing and non-agricultural projects, and the provision for regulatory functions being lodged in a specific agency under the DHUD. The lack of a broad perspective and therefore, a comprehensive approach, according to JDV himself, have been mainly to blame for the helter-skelter kind of approach to the problem.

The occasion for the JDV’s expression of support for CREBA’s housing scheme was a meeting called by De Venecia with CREBA officers led by Atty. Manuel M. Serrano and myself, and joined in by a group of congressmen, including Ed Zialcita, Raul Gonzales, Joey S. Salceda, Rodolfo Albano and Robert A. S. Barbers.

A few days before, the experienced House leader had been speaking of the pressing need for a well-planned sustainable housing program with active private sector participation that would have the capacity of producing 400,000 units yearly for the next 20 years. This program is a vital component of what he called "7-4-7" Action Plan which seeks to propel a seven percent yearly rate of economic growth for the next seven years.

Obviously, the CREBA recommended measures fit rather well into De Venecia’s broad but sharp vision, especially encompassing the plight of the low-income and the underprivileged sector.

There is an equally important reason for supporting the CREBA’s total approach which De Venecia must have in mind. It is this – while it is specifically focused on the needs of millions of homeless families, a working and effective housing program wields a pump-priming impact in terms of generating employment and income opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed, catalyzing business activity for 65 other industries, and generating millions of revenues for government.

That De Venecia is the incoming House Speaker will all the more auger well for the country’s prospects of effectively coping with the housing problem.

For then, JDV won’t be just one of a number of pro-housing advocates in the chamber, but he will be an effective go-better, a sincere pro-people politician, and a House Speaker to boot. To be sure, JDV’s sphere of influence won’t be confined to the halls of Congress, but just as effectively outside, in interacting with housing agency executives, the bureaucracy and the industry for them to join and help the cause of housing the Filipino. In fact, even before meeting with CREBA, he had secured the commitment of the Bankers Association of the Philippines to support his proposal to mobilize P270 billion in non-performing assets of private commercial banks in joint ventures with private developers for the housing program. Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas Gov. Rafael Buenaventura is supporting the project.

JDV is no stranger to this kind of work. In the past, also as House speaker, he demonstrated political will and helped galvanize the chamber into passing what at the time were deemed vital pieces of legislation for the public welfare and national development. No doubt about it, he will be an invaluable asset to the Macapagal-Arroyo administration.

We, therefore, have the highest hopes that, before long, the government will finally be mounting, with the all-out support of the private sector, a comprehensive and integrated program that will systematically, continually and successfully respond to the housing crisis for the sake of our homeless Filipinos and the entire nation.