The designation of the new housing secretary by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos has been welcomed by the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA), which also backs up the government’s goals for the housing industry in the next six years.
“We fully support the President’s appointment of Secretary Jose Acuzar as the new head of the DHSUD (Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development) and his vision of considerably accelerating Filipinos’ access to affordable shelters, and entering new approaches to urban development throughout the country. We look forward to working with him, in exploring these inspiring ideas, as well as in streamlining processes and policies already started for housing and real estate in the country,” SHDA National President May Rodriguez said during their recent courtesy call at the DHSUD in Quezon City.
The DHSUD is the quarterback department in both the management of housing needs and the organized urban development of the country, according to SHDA Chairman George Siy.
In lieu to the President’s State of the Nation Address that mentioned the adoption of a rationalized National Land Use Plan (NLUP), the group of housing developers identified some of the keys to increase building of houses, such as access to land, additional affordable forms of finance, and policies on vertical development.
With some balancing of the concerns of different sectors, preparation or updates at the national and local levels, SHDA believes that NLUP would help organize and accelerate development projects nationwide by both the public and private sectors.
It also identified the rationalization of licensing and permitting process as an important priority, and the digitization of the required submissions and payments systems to government offices, and data sharing, would greatly lessen the cost and time to do business, and result to a more affordable cost of housing.
Secretary Acuzar shared ideas with SHDA on how to unlock further access to sustainable financing for housing and entice the participation of other government and private financial institutions in housing finance.
Addressing the dwelling needs of the lower segment of the population, public housing, and reversing the increasing backlog top the government’s priorities, he cited.
Also tackled during the meeting were innovative approaches such as rental housing, cooperative housing, and activities involving the national government, local government units (LGUs), private sector, and the communities.
“We believe that together, we will accomplish many things for the housing industry. We are here to support his programs in any way we can,” Siy said.
SHDA recommended that strengthening the incentives and addressing the price ceilings, particularly when it comes to socialized housing, will improve greater participation in housing activities that had been affected by inflation in materials, skilled labor, and raw land prices.
Acuzar bared the initiatives that the government and DHSUD were exploring as programs for the next six years, including working hand-in-hand with the LGUs and the beneficiaries in the maintenance of the housing in their jurisdiction.
Beyond housing alone, he explored concepts in community planning that will bring down the cost of living for the buyers, increase employment, and uplift living standards, in dispersed areas.
The new housing secretary guaranteed the department’s openness to suggestions and continuing participation for SHDA and stakeholders.
The largest housing organization in the country and the DHSUD expect proactive partnership between the public and private sectors, different organizations, and stakeholders to achieve national goals in housing and national development.
Image credits: DHSUD
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The article was originally published in Business Mirror and written by Roderick Abad.
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