DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar (front row, 4L), Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte (front row, 5L), Pag-IBIG Fund CEO Marilene Acosta (front row, 5R), and NHA General Manager Joeben Tai (front row, 4R) leads the kick-off celebration of the National Shelter Month. (Contributed photo)

QUEZON CITY, (PIA) -- The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) on Monday, October 2, led the kickoff celebration of the 2023 National Shelter Month that is anchored on the theme “Pambansang Pabahay: Matibay na Saligan ng Mapayapang Pamayanan.” 

This year’s celebration will primarily shed light on the progress of the flagship housing program “Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH)” as it gears towards the goal of addressing the over 6 million housing backlog in the country under the current administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. 

"Sa pagkakaroon ng sariling tahanan na disente at ligtas, ang ating mga kababayan ay nagiging mas produktibong miyembro ng komunidad (By means of having a decent and safe housing, we are enabling our fellow Filipinos to become productive members of the community)," said Housing Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar. 

During the opening ceremony of the National Shelter Month, the DHSUD unveiled a housing exhibit at its Central Office in Quezon City featuring the rollout of the 4PH and other related programs of key shelter agencies (KSAs) such as the National Housing Authority (NHA). 

Undersecretary Randy Escolango underscored the pivotal role of the celebration in reinstating the significance of housing as one of the urgent national concerns. 

“[The celebration sets out] the opportunity to recognize the importance of housing as an essential key to personal development and national progress,” Escolango stated, noting that most Filipinos do not prioritize the attainment of housing security due to interdependent issues such as inflation rate, lack of livelihood opportunities, and housing affordability. 

Meanwhile, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, who graced the ceremony as a keynote speaker, highlighted the need to improve the access of people to affordable housing through the help of concerned stakeholders from both the national government and private partner-developers, particularly financial institutions including the Pag-IBIG Fund, Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), Social Security System (SSS), and the Social Housing Finance Corporation. 

“Batid nating hindi madaling solusyunan ang prolema sa pabahay at malaking hamon ito sa mga pamahalaang lokal at nasyonal (We know that the housing problem is a huge challenge confronting both the local and national government),” Belmonte remarked, with reference to the growing population density in Metro Manila due to rapid urbanization. 

“Nais kong bigyang diin na ang pagkakaroon ng sariling bahay ay isang basic human right o fundamental human right sa aking pananaw. At nararapat na makamit ng lahat ano man ang kanilang antas sa buhay (I want to emphasize that having a house you can call your own is a basic human right or fundamental human right in my opinion. And it must be accessible to everyone regardless of their status),” she added.

The local chief executive also cited that the insufficiency of socialized housing projects contributes to the accumulation of informal settler families (ISFs) who mostly reside in danger zones such as waterways. 

Apart from the exhibit, the DHSUD is expected to conduct promotion activities throughout the course of the 2023 National Shelter Month. These include a Kapihan Session on housing matters, webinars, and media guestings alongside KSAs. 

In addition, the national housing department will host the first-ever Philippine Urban Forum on October 5 to 6 with a goal of providing a platform for policy dialogues and multi-sectoral partnerships aimed at the advancement of sustainable urbanization. 

To date, about 20 projects under the 4PH program are in the current implementation phases  across the country. (DHSUD/PIA-NCR)