PROCLAMATION No. 662 declares the month of October every year as National Shelter Month. It recognizes housing as vital to the overall development of the country and enhancement of the social, economic, and spiritual well-being of the people.
The government joins the community of nations in the annual celebration of World Habitat Day which falls on the first Monday of October, to dramatize the imperative need for collaborative efforts in addressing homelessness.
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), together with its Key Shelter Agencies, celebrates National Shelter Month 2022 with the theme “Abot-kayang Pabahay tungo sa Panatag na Buhay.”
The KSAs include the Human Settlements Adjudication Commission (HSAC), the National Housing Authority (NHA), the Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC), the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. (NHMFC), and the Home Development Mutual Fund (or Pag-IBIG).
The DHSUD kicked off the National Shelter Month on Oct. 3 through a series of activities for the whole month of October that aims to further equip Filipinos with more knowledge of their financial options in acquiring safe and sustainable homes.
The objective of the Department is to provide affordable shelters that are decent and sustainable, effectively uplifting the lives of Filipinos, particularly the informal settler families and those in the low-income bracket.
Here in Region 6, the DHSUD and its KSAs spearheaded various activities such as housing fairs, trainings, motorcades, on-the-spot painting contests, and displays of booths.
The first leg will be from Oct. 10 to 16 at Robinsons Place Iloilo where DHSUD-6 with KSAs in partnership with the Subdivision and Housing Developers (SHDA) Panay Chapter will hold a Housing Fair.
From Oct. 12 to 14, the DHSUD-6 in partnership with the League of Local Planning and Development Coordinators of Western Visayas (LLPDC-WV), Inc. will hold training for Local Government Units (LGUs) and other stakeholders on Subdivision Processing and Approval.
The second leg will be from Oct. 24 to 30 in SM City Iloilo where DHSUD-6 with KSAs in partnership with the Subdivision and Housing Developers (SHDA) Panay Chapter will hold another Housing Fair.
The third and last leg will be from Oct. 25 to 29 at Robinsons Place Bacolod where the DHSUD-6 and KSAs in partnership with the Association of Planning and Development Coordinators (APDEC), Inc. of Negros Occidental will hold a Housing Fair and series of activities. From October 26 to 28, there will be training for Local Government Units (LGUs) and other stakeholders on Subdivision Processing and Approval.
Furthermore, there will be CDRA Training for 20 LGUs to be spearheaded by the Environment and Land Use, and Urban Planning and Development Bureau (ELUPDD).
“This year’s celebration accurately encapsulates the goal of the DHSUD to provide affordable yet decent and sustainable shelters that will give Filipino families a sense of security and certitude. Hopefully, this goal will be reached by the end of the current administration,” said Housing Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, who became head of the Department just this year.
The DHSUD and its KSAs will strive harder to deliver the best service to all Filipinos.
As part of the Human Settlements Adjudication Commission – Regional Adjudication Branch VI, I would like to greet all ka-Balai with a Happy National Shelter Month!/PN
