BY GLENDA TAYONA
ILOILO City – More housing projects will be constructed in this city through the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).
In a ceremony over the weekend, Mayor Jerry P. Treñas signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with DHSUD represented by Secretary Jose Acuzar and undersecretaries Avelino Tolentino and Jose Ramon Aliling here.
“Hopefully madayon na. Very ambitious nga plan pero kita ya sa syudad we are very happy kon madayon ina,” said Treñas.
The city, he said, has two ready lots as counterpart for the project – a 2.7-hectare property in Barangay San Isidro, Jaro district and a 2.2-hectare lot at Fort San Pedro in the City Proper.
The city mayor noted that a 10- to 12-storey building is being eyed at the San Isidro property and a medium to high-rise tenement at Fort San Pedro. Both are planned to be equipped with amenities such as swimming pool, club house, gym, among others just like the private condominium development.
“These will make the use of the land more efficient kay mas damo nga families ma-relocate mo,” he added.
Both sites will have a total of 500 housing units.
The housing units can be availed by informal settlers who do not have a house of their own. The 24-square meter size unit will be up for grabs at P3,500 a month. Treñas said those interested to apply can start talking to the Iloilo City Urban Poor Affairs Office (ICUPAO).
Meanwhile, the MOU will be up for ratification by the Sangguniang Panlungsod this week.
Treñas said the DHSUD will be sending technical people to check the proposed sites, among others.
He noted that the project will be simultaneously implemented all over the Philippines and the target groundbreaking will be this coming October.
DHSUD officials went on a two-day swing over the weekend in key cities in the Visayas for the said housing programs.
Aside from Treñas, they met with other local chief executives including Iloilo province’s Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., Roxas City’s Mayor Ronnie Dadivas; Santa Barbara, Iloilo’s Mayor Dennis Superficial, Bacolod City’s Mayor Albee Benitez, Mandaue City’s Mayor Jonas Cortes, and Tacloban City’s Mayor Alfred Romualdez.
In a news release, DHSUD said they were beefing up stakeholders’ engagement to promote President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s priority housing program in the Visayas.
Part of the administration’s priority is addressing the more than 6.5 million housing backlog including the estimated at 3.7 million informal settler families throughout the country.
Most of the local leaders committed to support the housing blueprint of the Marcos administration and expressed their readiness to allot land resources for the development of new project sites, including turning esteros into parks and walkways to help in the restoration and rehabilitation of our waterways./PN
