AQUINO GOV’T TO BUTTRESS REHOUSING PROJECT WITH P5.5-B; ABAD: RESETTLEMENT TO TARGET INFORMAL SETTLERS, RESIDENTS IN HIGH-RISK AREAS

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) released P5.5 billion to the National Housing Authority (NHA) for the implementation of the Resettlement Program, in line with the Aquino administration’s drive for better living conditions for poor or at-risk Filipino families.

“The recent release will allow the NHA to meet the rehousing requirements of families and communities living as informal settlers or currently in high-risk or calamity-stricken areas. President Aquino understands the urgency of relocating these residents whose safety must be ensured and protected, especially since the rainy season has begun,” Budget and Management Secretary Florencio B. Abad said.

According to NHA, the program will cover the provision of 12,227 house and lot packages, 10,188 housing units, and 16,527 lots to beneficiary families nationwide. The release will be charged against the agency’s Corporate Operating Budget as programmed in FY 2012 General Appropriations Act.

Of the total fund, at least P4.16 billion will go to NHA-administered rehousing activities, of which around P2.7 billion will be used to relocate informal settler families living in high-risk areas in Metro Manila, Rizal, Laguna, Bulacan, and Pampanga. The fund will likewise cover families displaced from areas earmarked for government infrastructure projects.

Under this program, the Administration will provide housing units to beneficiary families—particularly for off-city relocation—and community facilities such as schools, health centers, multipurpose/livelihood centers, and police outputs in new housing sites. In addition, socio-economic and other community support programs will also be rolled out, with the entire program involving local government units (LGUs), other government agencies, affected communities, and nongovernment organizations.

“If we were to merely relocate these communities without accounting for their basic needs, we would be doing the affected families a great disservice. The NHA will see to it that informal settlers will be resettled in homes they can call their own, with schools and community facilities well within reach,” Abad said.

Around P905.2 million of the fund for NHA-administered projects will go to rehousing families currently living in condemned buildings or structures. An additional P568 million will be used to relocate poor or informal settler families affected by calamities to safe areas, as well as to provide housing assistance to families whose homes have been damaged by calamities, but who do not need to be transferred to a different location.

Meanwhile, P1.006 billion of the total P5.5-billion fund will be directed to local government units outside Metro Manila for the Regional Resettlement Program. The fund will support the relocation of families in high-risk areas, those affected by infrastructure projects and calamities, and those subject to court-order eviction.

Furthermore, P82.6 million will be devoted to housing support activities, while P252.4 million will be used to deliver critical community support services for relocated families.

“Together with various civil society organizations, the NHA will provide community support services to help beneficiary families adjust to their environment, so they can make the most of the new opportunities ahead of them. Ultimately, the Aquino administration aims to lead these communities away from poverty and toward full socio-economic growth,” Abad said.

Summary of House and Lots, housing units, and lots to be produced per region