JV echoes PBBM’s call, urges DHSUD to find idle lands
For housing dev’t in urban centers
SENATOR Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito called on the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) to identify idle lands among the country’s urban centers that can host on-site, in-city, and near-city resettlement and community development.
The senator echoed President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s proposed executive order that seeks to reserve idle government lands for housing projects.
The proposal is part of Marcos’ vision of building around one million housing units per year, or about six million houses, by the end of his term.
Ejercito said he was “surprised” to learn of thousands of hectares of idle land right in the middle of Metro Manila.
“Dito sa Metro Manila, magugulat tayo na there are thousands of hectares (of idle land). Ayun nga lang, some are inhabited by informal settler families,” he said during the hearing of the Senate Committee on Housing, which he currently chairs.
Ejercito called for the redevelopment of said informal settler communities
The solon asked the DHSUD to prioritize the identification of idle lands in the country’s three most populous metropolitan areas, namely Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao.
Moreover, he said the national government should avoid using agricultural lands for its housing projects.
“Ayaw na nating mabawasan ang ating mga productive lands,” Ejercito said.
Housing Undersecretary Avelino Tolentino III said the DHSUD is still identifying idle lands from the 16,000 hectares of government land listed in their registry.
The agency is also coordinating with Bacolod Mayor Alfredo “Albee” Benitez, who was recently elected as the national chairperson of the League of Cities of the Philippines, to persuade his fellow mayors to assist in the identification of idle state-owned lands, Tolentino added.
