Ejercito bats for one housing department

Sen. JV Ejercito reiterated his call for the creation of Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development saying “one housing department should be a priority.” 

Ejercito who is the chairman of the Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement was saddened by reports that the proposed budget of the National Housing Authority was decreased due to the agency’s under-spending.

In the 2017 proposed budget, housing for the poor will have a P15.4-billion budget. More than twelve (P12.6) billion will be given to the NHA for the construction of socialized housing, predominantly the resettlement of informal settlers from danger zones and housing assistance for calamity victims.

Considering the increase in the number of informal settler families and the homeless, the housing need has already swelled to 5.5 million,” lamented the Senator.

“The creation of a Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development has long been in the halls of Congress. The housing sector has not been in the forefront of national priorities in the past years and administration.

“Ang bahay ay buhay. Isa sa mga pangunahing pangangailangan ng bawat pamilya at batayang karapatan ng bawat mamamayan. Hindi lamang mga informal settlers ang tinutukoy natin, kundi pati na rin ang dumaraming low income at middle income na pamilya na nag-aasam at nangangarap na magkaroon ng sariling bahay,” added Ejercito.

Ejercito believes, “Housing must be a ‘total package’ affordable to all, to include access to basic services and livelihood, mass transport system, schools, and hospitals. And so, we need one strong housing department, not merely a coordinating body that will serve as a one-stop-shop, to effectively direct and coordinate the activities and policies of the governments’ housing agencies, provide affordable housing packages and ensure the development and accomplishment of a National Housing and Urban Development Master Plan.”