The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) said on Sunday that the executive order issued by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. allotting idle government land for housing projects will ensure the success of the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program.
"This Executive Order (EO) 34 the President has issued is a pro-poor measure that could spell the difference in finally addressing homelessness in the country," DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar Jr. said.
EO 34, which directs the DHSUD to make use of idle government land in building shelter for the poor, was very timely and vital, he said.
"This has direct positive impact on homeless Filipinos, particularly the informal settler families (ISFs), who are among President Marcos Jr.'s priorities in the 4PH program," Acuzar said.
"No other Philippine president in recent memory has done what President Marcos Jr. did, directing all government agencies to allocate idle lands for housing," the housing czar added.
EO 34 empowers the agency to identify national and local government land "suitable for housing and human settlements, including new townships and estates development, in coordination with concerned government agencies and local government units (LGUs)."
On the one hand, all concerned government agencies, LGUs and other government entities including government-owned and -controlled corporations are mandated to "provide full support to and cooperation with the DHSUD to ensure the successful implementation of the program."
Specifically, they are obliged to submit land inventories to DHSUD within 60 days from the issuance of the EO.
Acuzar said that EO 34 is a huge factor in significantly reducing the cost of housing units under the 4PH.
"The allocation of idle government lands for housing will further bolster the ongoing nationwide implementation of 4PH," he said.
Source: The Manila Times