The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has renewed its commitment to provide Filipinos with low-cost housing programs, as well as more efficient and improved housing units.

Marking the first year of the founding of the department, Housing czar Eduardo del Rosario said on Friday they remain steadfast to improve the quality of housing units and produce affordable, livable, and more socialized houses.

“We renew our commitment to the Filipino families who wish to have a house of their own that is livable, affordable, and resilient in inclusive communities,” del Rosario added.

He also ensured corrupt-free business within the department saying, “I have given stern instruction to abide by the guidelines in the ‘Ease of Doing Business’. No more delays in the issuance of permits and clearances.”

Del Rosario pledged that under his watch, the DHSUD would raise the bar of integrity, making the entire department a role model on good governance.

The department intends to expand and enhance its capabilities through a strong partnership with all stakeholders involved in the housing sectors, he said.

Del Rosario lauded the Key Shelter Agencies (KSAs) — the attached corporations of the department in the implementation of the National Shelter programs — “for doing (their) responsibility and respective mandates in the housing sector to assist and support the housing needs of the Filipino people.”

“And while we are gearing towards the full operationalization of the DHSUD that already commenced on January 1, 2020, the Key Shelter Agencies had accomplished so much in terms of program implementation and policy reforms,” he added.

Expanding the commitment

Del Rosario said the housing sector, together with its attached KSAs, addresses various issues in the areas of housing finance, housing regulation, housing production, and institutional development.

He said the new department has fully operationalized by merging the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council.

“The DHSUD, as well as the KSAs and other partner organizations, remain steadfast in finding ways to minimize the effects of these natural disasters by means of discovering new and more affordable technologies that will be incorporated into the department’s housing plans,” he added.

In the opening ceremony of DHSUD’s anniversary, the new department and the KSAs, with other partner organizations, signed a “performance contract” that signifies the expansion of the housing sector’s commitment to address the housing needs of the Filipino families and vowed to provide sustainable homes and resettlements to people affected by calamities — whether natural or man-made.

“This we will do with our strong partnerships with all stakeholders, especially those directly involved in the housing sector,” del Rosario said.

He added that the creation of their new department under Republic Act 11201 would be brought into purpose and that the department would ensure the “people’s dreams to get their own houses will be possible at all times.”
The DHSUD’s partner KSAs – among them the National Housing Authority (NHA), the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp (NHMFC), the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), and the Social Housing Finance Corp (SHFC) — have committed to strengthen programs for Filipino families, especially the underprivileged, through a careful expansion of urban planning and development.

Under Republic Act 11201, signed into law by President Rodrigo Duterte on Feb. 14, 2019, the new department shall support the needs of underprivileged and homeless Filipinos so they could have access to safe and affordable housing. (PNA)