ASENIOR lawmaker on Sunday said the massive construction of housing units under the national government’s “Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH)” program is expected to generate an estimated P6-billion to P8-billion worth of local economic activity and create thousands of jobs.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. recently broke ground on a trailblazing, high-rise mass-housing project with 10,000 units combined in Camarines Sur, which is the first such joint venture that the administration has undertaken in partnership with a provincial local government unit (LGU) under the “4PH” program, according to Rep. LRay Villafuerte.
The solon noted that the 4PH housing project, once completed, will boast the tallest structure in Bicol at 25 storeys—higher than the current tallest building in the region, which is just 20 storeys tall.
“This is the first province to ground-break this program, according to the DHSUD [Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development],” explained Villafuerte.
He said the groundbreaking ceremony for the 12 residential towers—each rising 25 floors high in Naga City—highlighted Marcos’s day-long visit in the province last Thursday, which also included the launching of a “Kadiwa ng Pangulo” outlet, a visit to a coconut-processing center, and the distribution of assorted government assistance to farmers and fisherfolk, small-scale entrepreneurs, flood victims and other local beneficiaries.
The Chief Executive aims to close the housing gap—estimated at over 6 million homes—by building 1 million 4PH homes each year over his six-year term.
Villafuerte said that, given the DHSUD plan to build 6 million homes and the President’s P9-trillion infrastructure program, he had told the department that the government would be needing thousands of skilled laborers such as carpenters, plumbers, painters and welders for these projects.
The housing complex in Naga City is the first national-LGU partnership project under the 4PH that the DHSUD has entered into with a provincial government, the congressman shared.
The Home Development Mutual Fund, or “Pag-IBIG” has set aside P250 billion for the entire 4PH undertaking.
As of March this year the DHSUD has separately signed four memoranda of agreement, and 83 memoranda of understanding with LGUs across the country.
Under this pioneering initiative, five residential towers with a total of 10,000 units will rise on a six-hectare land on Panganiban Drive in Naga City. Four commercial buildings will also be built around the residential towers to allow would-be residents access to basic facilities like schools, medical facilities and markets, said Villafuerte.