BBM President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr. leads the groundbreaking for the 11-hectare housing project under the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino in Brgy. Atate, Palayan City, Nueva Ecija Wednesday. Also in picture are (from left) Sen. Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito, Speaker Martin G. Romualdez, Palayan City Mayor Viandrei Nicole “Vianne” J. Cuevas, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Sec. Jose Rizalino Acuzar, and Government Service and Insurance System (GSIS) President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo “Wick” Veloso. Photo by VER NOVENO

Romualdez hails Marcos housing program

December 21, 2022 Ryan Ponce Pacpaco 656 views
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President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. delivers his message during the groundbreaking ceremony. Looking on are (from right) Palayan City Mayor Viandrei Nicole Cuevas, DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, Speaker Martin G. Romualdez and Senator JV Ejercito. Photo by VER NOVENO

Speaker Romualdez lauds groundbreaking of PBBM’s Pambansang Pabahay housing program in Nueva Ecija

SPEAKER Martin G. Romualdez on Wednesday lauded the inauguration of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s 11,000 housing units under the flagship Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program in Barangay Atate in Palayan City, Nueva Ecija.

President Marcos led the groundbreaking event called “Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino: Pamaskong Handog ni Pangulong Bongbong Marcos at ng Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD)” held at a Pag-Ibig housing site in Brgy. Atate.

“Building six million houses is the target of President Marcos Jr., I am very confident we can achieve this through our unity in purpose and the cooperation of all stakeholders in the program,” said Romualdez, who accompanied President Marcos during the event.

The Marcos administration is planing to build one million houses every year under the program in the next six years.

“Six million houses may be just another target to accomplish, but imagine giving six million families houses they can call their own. That is not only addressing the housing backlog, it is also realizing the dreams of millions of Filipinos who yearn for a house they can call their own,” Speaker Romualdez said, saying this will go a long way in addressing the housing backlog in the country.

According to DHSUD Sec. Jose Rizalino Acuzar, the 11-hectare Palayan City Township Housing Program will be composed of three phases, expected to build 44 towers with about 11,000 housing units.

Acuzar said the master plan for township development in Palayan City has incorporated facilities and amenities such as elementary school, livelihood center, administrative offices, central park, basketball court, mini-market and hawker area, aquaphonics, sewage treatment plant, and materials recovery facility.

The groundbreaking of the Marcos administration’s housing program was also the signing of the memorandum of agreement among Palayan City Mayor Viandrei Nicole “Vianne” J. Cuevas, Acuzar, GSIS President and General Manager Jose Arnulfo “Wick” Veloso, and others officials from the Social Security System, Pag-Ibig, and Land Bank of the Philippines.

“President Marcos is addressing the country’s woes on all fronts almost simultaneously: food security, foreign investments, jobs and livelihood, public order and safety, health and social protection, and now social services like housing,” Romualdez said.

“We in Congress will do everything to support our President in all of his programs because we also believe that if we work as one, we can achieve even the greatest of ambitions. This is how we move forward, this is how we move mountains,” Romualdez said.

The DHSUD earlier estimated the housing backlog, if not addressed, to reach 10.9 million by the end of the Marcos administration.

The six-million housing priority program hopes to arrest this dangerous trend.

The momentous event was also graced by Mayor Viandrei Nicole’s parents -Bong Cuevas and former city mayor Rianne Cuevas, Vice Gov. Emmanuel Antonio Umali, provincial administrator Atty. Alejandro Abesamis, Nueva Ecija 1st district Rep. Mika Suansing, Cabanatuan city mayor Myca Elizabeth Vergara, San Jose City mayor Kokoy Salvador, Muñoz Science City mayor Baby Armi Alvarez and Vice Mayor Nestor Alvarez and Governors Christian Noveras of Aurora, Hermogenes Ebdane (Zambales) and Susan Yap of Tarlac.

Also a highlight of the event was the formal signing of the memorandum of understanding between the DHSUD, the city government and heads of government financial institutions such as the GSIS, SSS, Land Bank of the Philippines, Development Bank of the Philippines, and the Pag-ibig Fund.

Palayan City’s housing project features a housing community equipped with amenities and infrastructure to facilitate economic and social activities among target beneficiaries.

“Like I always say, our President not only wants us to simply build houses but more importantly, develop an enabling community which will allow home dwellers to sustain their source of living and provide comfort in their lives,” Alcuzar said.

“Through this project, we will ensure more accessible public services and sources of livelihood for our kababayans. On behalf of the President, let me thank the local government of Nueva Ecija, particularly Palayan City, for embracing and rolling out the Pambansang Pabahay here as we envision it to be,” said Acuzar.

The President said: “Kailangan nating pasalamatan lahat kayo lahat ng nagtrabaho dito pati ang Department of Human Settlements at iba pang national agencies at siyempre ang LGU.”

“I know that this is not the first groundbreaking that I have attended and I know that it will not be the last and we will continue to break ground in other parts of the country para yung ating pinapangarap na one million homes a year eh kapag naabot natin yun eh napakalaging bagay na nabigyan natin ng solusyon ang problema natin sa pabahay,” said the President in his speech. By RYAN PONCE PACPACO & STEVE A. GOSUICO

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