Martinez

Use of idle gov’t lot as housing project site eyed

September 11, 2022 Ryan Ponce Pacpaco 265 views

HOUSE committee on appropriations vice chairman and Valenzuela City 2nd District Rep. Eric M. Martinez has recommended to the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD) to look into several idle lots owned by the government as a possible site for a socialized housing project.

At the same time, the third-term Valenzuela City lawmaker suggested to DHSUD to prioritize the awarding of the government housing projects to public school teachers, the health care workers or medical frontliners, the uniformed personnel, and other state workers.

During the deliberation of the said committee for the DHSUD’s proposed budget for the fiscal year 2023, amounting to P4.029 billion, Martinez asked Housing chief Jose Rizalino “Jerry” I. Acuzar about the agency’s projected number of housing units to be constructed next year.

In response, Acuzar said for the next six years or under the term of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr., DHSUD intends to construct six million housing units or one million housing units per year.

Martinez then implores the DHSUD secretary to give the breakdown of the one million housing units that the agency will put up in the first year of the Marcos administration, particularly for the National Capital Region (NCR).

According to Acuzar, under their next year’s budget, there are around 500,000 residential units allocated for NCR, and the rest of the targeted one million housing will be for other regions in the country.

Martinez then relayed to the Housing department about the property of the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT), which he said has been idle for very long years, that is why he then urged the agency to look into it as a possible site for ‘high-rise’ housing project in Valenzuela City.

“Mayroon po kami sa Valenzuela City, it’s a government lot, ng DICT. And since it is an idle lot, matagal na talaga siyang hindi nagagamit. Hopefully you could look into it, na itong mga government idle lot na ito, na marami sa NCR, ay maging site for housing projects,” the House panel vice chairman stated.

“It would just take the imprimatur of the President… at ang ibang agencies would follow suit; kapag ang priority ay housing, dito sa mga idle lot na ito (itayo). Please look into it, the idle lot of DICT sa Brgy. Karuhatan, as a possible high-rise (housing) that could cater to our Valenzuelanos,” Martinez stressed.

Under the proposed P5.268 trillion national budget for the fiscal year 2023, DHSUD will receive a total of P4.029 billion, 48% lower than its current budget of P7.67 billion.

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