Abalos pushes for decent, affordable mass housing
SENATORIAL candidate and former Mandaluyong City Mayor Benhur Abalos Jr. has said he aims to bring his city’s housing successes to the national level, with a focus on ensuring more Filipinos gain access to decent and affordable homes.
The award-winning former mayor of Mandaluyong and interior secretary said his city’s affordable payment schemes and interest rates that do not burden low-income families have his housing program effective.
“Walang dapat mahirapan magbayad para lang magkaroon ng tahanan,” he said. “That’s the recipe for success.”
If elected, Abalos said he will push for measures that guarantee access to dignified housing for informal settlers, low-income earners, and OFWs.
“Our goal should be clear: to give every Filipino family a chance to live with dignity, security, and pride in a home they can truly call their own,” he said.
A total of 7,767 families in Mandaluyong benefited from Abalos’ various housing efforts. These included medium-rise residential buildings that accommodated 1,113 families and a land-for-the-landless initiative that provided 2,366 families with permanent lots. An additional 2,101 families—once informal settlers along the Philippine National Railway—were granted land titles. The city’s partnerships with Gawad Kalinga and community mortgage programs helped house another 727 and 1,460 families, respectively.
“These families now have legal ownership and dignity,” Abalos said. “Hindi na sila mga informal settlers—mga landowner na sila.”
What set the program apart, he explained, was its affordability. Monthly amortization ranged from P1,500 to P1,800 depending on the loan term and contract price, typically over 10 to 25 years. Under the land-for-the-landless scheme, families paid only P250 per month for 20-square-meter lots, with full payment completed in just three years.
Abalos said that beyond providing shelter, in-city housing also preserves livelihoods, reduces transportation costs, and keeps families rooted in their communities—all essential to inclusive urban development.
