BACOLOD City – A joint venture agreement (JVA) for P2 billion worth of settlements was signed between WRS Holdings, Inc. and Scheirman Construction Consolidated Incorporated (SCCI) and the city government on Tuesday, March 7, at the Bacolod City Government Center.
The agreement was for two sets of 10,000 housing units for informal settler families (ISFs) under the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) program of the national government, through the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD).
An initial set of Asenso Yuhum housing units would be built at the relocation site in Barangay Vista Alegre (3,000 units) and in the Reclamation Area (7,000 units), with a commitment to build another set of 10,000 units as additional land is made available by the city government.
The settlement is a mix of housing units, commercial spaces and open spaces.
The city government would have a 10 percent share of the revenue from commercial spaces, according to the agreement.
The DHSUD mandates a “continuing program of housing and urban development which shall make available at affordable cost, decent housing and basic services to underprivileged and homeless citizens in urban centers and resettlement areas”, as enshrined in Republic Act 11201.
DHSUD Circular 2023-004 empowers local government units (LGUs) to address housing problems within their localities. It granted authority to its partner LGUs to implement measures, including entering into a JVA, to bridge housing gaps.
Each partner LGU would act as the lead proponent in the implementation of the housing project, formulating local policies and programs to facilitate project financing, construction and property management.
Last year, the city and the DHSUD signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on this.
The 4PH program is supported by the National Home Development Mutual Fund, commonly known as the Pag-IBIG Fund.
Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said the DSHUD would also provide subsidies to ISFs qualified to take housing loans from Pag-IBIG.
“We would be the first, a model. We would be the prototype for how we execute and implement the housing program,” added Benitez./PN
