ORION, Bataan -- Almost 3,000 informal settler families (ISFs), including fire victims back in 2019, stand to benefit from a new housing project in Bataan.

On Friday, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario led the groundbreaking and ceremonial turnover of check donation for land development of the 1Bataan Village in Orion, where 2,936 housing units will be constructed to accommodate ISFs who were displaced by an accidental fire in a local town two years ago.

It will also serve as a resettlement site for ISFs living along danger zones across Bataan province.

The project will be jointly undertaken by the DHSUD, Bataan provincial government, the National Housing Authority (NHA) and AyalaLand Corp., through its incentivized compliance to balanced housing program.

In his message, Secretary Del Rosario stressed that the Department, together with its key shelter agencies (KSAs), consider shelter as a right of every Filipino.

“Kung makikita po natin, sa project ni Governor (Albert Garcia), about 2,936 units ang ipapatayo sa ating lugar na tinatayuan ngayon. So ibig sabihin nito, 2,936 families will be benefitted by this project, at kung kukwentahin natin ang total number of individuals, it’s about 12,000 Filipinos ang makikinabang dito,” the DHSUD chief said.

“Yun po ay isang napakagandang project at yan po ay siyang ating tinatanaw sa housing sector, ang karapatan ng isang pamilya na magkaroon ng sarili nilang pamamahay,” he added.

DHSUD and the Bataan LGU finalized a Memorandum of Agreement in December last year. Under the pact, the Department, through the NHA, will lead the land development to pave the way for the construction of six three-story buildings on the housing site acquired by the Bataan LGU.

According to Secretary Del Rosario, DHSUD’s two other housing principles are building Filipino communities, not just housing units, and ensure that no sub-standard housing project is built under the Duterte administration.

“Ayaw na ayaw po ng ating mahal na Pangulo na malalamang ang kanyang administrasyon ay nagkaroon ng project na maka-classify natin as sub-standard,” Secretary Del Rosario stressed.

“Yan po ang kanyang (President Duterte) instruction sa akin: ensure that all housing projects and units are within the standard set forth by the national government,” he noted.

Also in attendance at the key event were Bataan Governor. Albert Garcia, Vice-Governor Ma. Cristina Garcia and Orion Mayor Antonio Raymundo Jr. as well as DHSUD Regional Office 3 Director Lyndon Juntilla, Assistant Regional Director Felix Brazil, Housing and Real Estate Development and Regulation Bureau OIC-Director Angel Aguila and former Assistant Secretary Leira Buan.

For his part, Governor Garcia thanked the national government through DHSUD for helping make the project into a reality.

“Nagpapasalamat po ang lalawigan ng Bataan at aming mga opisyales dahil kung wala po kayo ay hindi matutuloy itong napakagandang project natin kung saan magbebenepisyo ang ating mga kababayan na tunay na nangangailangan,” he said.

Since last year, Secretary Del Rosario had been spearheading a number of groundbreaking events for land development of housing projects that were finalized with LGUs across the country in partnership with its KSAs and developers from the private sector. (DHSUD)