Private sector boosts gov’t effort to clear C. Visayas housing backlog

The private sector's collaboration with the government has bolstered the Marcos administration's effort to beat the almost 600,000 housing unit backlog in Central Visayas, a housing development official said on Tuesday. Lawyer Lyndon Juntilla, regional director of the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD) in Central Visayas, said the region has only 588,386 housing unit backlog out of the 6.5 million nationwide that is targeted to be accomplished before President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s term ends in 2028. Juntilla, however, said only over 13,000 is the target number of housing units under the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program (4PH) in the region. He said the 588,386 regional target is the number including those that are undertaken by private entities but funded by the local government units, and projects implemented through the public-private partnership (PPP). Among the notable 4PH housing projects in progress are the Mycollex-Westtown Housing Project and the Panglao Isla nd Residences which are both in Panglao, Bohol; the La Herencia Residences in Carcar City which is south of Cebu province; and the 4PH Medellin in the northern town of Medellin, Cebu. 'Many in the private sector have participated in the program… We are still collating the data as to the number of housing units constructed through joint venture agreements, PPP, and other forms of partnerships,' Juntilla said during the Bagong Pilipinas forum here. The Cebu City government envisioned registering 8,000 informal settlers for the 4PH program that will benefit 21 villages. He said the government prefers joint venture agreement (JVA), PPP, and turn-key modality as a way to allow the private sector to implement housing projects, stressing it will not use government funds and is not subject to the Commission on Audit examination. Meanwhile, Juntilla urged informal settlers to seek membership with the Housing Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG so that they can easily avail of the 4PH housing project under the Marc os Jr. administration. Source: Philippines News Agency