HUDCC housing projects serve over 3,000 households
The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) said their housing project sites under President Arroyo’s Executive order No. 20, as of the end of 2009 are now reaching out to more than 3,000 households.
Executive Order No. 20 was issued by the President in May 2001, which mandates that local government units should apply for presidential proclamations of certain areas, for housing purposes.
HUDCC Regional Coordinator Eva Maria Marfil said they have already organized the Project Interagency Committee (PIAC) in the 11 in the region which have been issued presidential proclamations, namely, Victorias City (1); Bacolod City (1); Murcia (1); Cauayan, (1) all in Negros Occidental; Jamindan, Capiz (1) and Iloilo City (6).
Marfil said some 9,4428 hectares in Miag-ao and some 0.4763 hectares in Roxas City are for review and under process respectively for the sites, while in some sites land survey, census and tagging are still being conducted.
“More beneficiaries are yet to be determined,” Marfil said.
Meanwhile, the HUDCC has been also assisting local government units in the creation of Local Housing Boards amd Local Housing Units, to help them focus on housing concerns in their jurisdiction.
Marfil said the local Housing Boards set the policies relative to housing concerns while the Local Housing Units take care of the implementation of the housing projects.
For the year 2009 the agency has assisted in the creation of Local Housing Boards and Local Housing Units of Roxas City and of Passi City.
The eradication and suppression of professional squatters and squatting syndicates remain a challenge to the HUDCC and other housing agencies, said Marfil.
So far, she added, they have intensified their orientations and seminars on Republic Act 7279 (Urban Development and Housing Act, and on E.O. 153 (Instituting the National Drive to Suppress and Eradicate Professional Squatters and Squatting syndicates.
In Iloilo City, Marfil said, they have strengthened the already existing Task Force ASIS (Anti-Squatting and Informal Structures) that spearheads containment of nefarious acts of professional squatters and squatting syndicates.
Meanwhile, Marfil said the holding of regular Western Visayas Housing Fairs has enabled the government housing agencies including HUDCC to show case several housing projects and afford potential and existing home buyers some cliniquing and technical sessions. (PIA6/ESS)
