MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has committed to “double its efforts” in implementing the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program (4PH) and the Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli (PBBM) urban development project.
“We will strengthen the implementation of 4PH and the Pasig River rehabilitation project. There will be no letup. We will double our efforts,” DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar said in a forum organized by the Radio Television Malacañang on Tuesday.
He said while the 4PH program and the PBBM project are “in full swing,” there is still much that the DHSUD and its key shelter agencies can do to hasten and widen the project implementation such as by pursuing more partnerships with the private sector.
“The DHSUD will continue to strive hard in delivering our mandate in the management of housing, human settlements and urban development,” Acuzar said.
45 4PH projects
He noted that at least 45 projects under the 4PH are in various stages of construction around the country while more than 200 memoranda of understanding (MOU) were signed with various local government units (LGUs) and private entities that committed to participate in the program.
Launched at the start of the Marcos administration in the middle of 2022, the 4PH program targets the construction of six million housing units by 2028 to address the country’s housing backlog, pegged at around 6.5 million units.
Among the latest private contractors to join the 4PH Program was Megawide Construction Corp., whose real estate arm, PH1 World Developers, was tapped by the Imus City government as a partner in the implementation of its 4PH project recently launched in Barangay Malagasang 1-G.
The project, located in a 1.7-hectare property, will feature five mid-rise residential towers with a total of 1,100 units.
The DHSUD also signed an MOU with Manila Electric Co. for the provision of electric services in 4PH projects in the National Capital Region and nearby areas.
The DHSUD also recently signed a memorandum of agreement with the Pasay City government and the Manila International Airport Authority for the construction of temporary shelters for the informal settler families while the construction of their permanent housing units under the 4PH Program is ongoing.
Showcase areas
The PBBM project, on the other hand, had inaugurated last January a 200-meter showcase area, composed of a commercial walkway connecting MacArthur and Jones Bridges, passing across the Manila Central Post Office.
Five months later, the project’s Phase 1C – an additional 250-meter stretch connecting the initial showcase area to Plaza Mexico in Intramuros – was launched.
The PBBM project is divided into nine sections covering several cities in the metropolis that intersect the Pasig River, from Manila Bay to Laguna de Bay.
The DHSUD said the entire project is estimated to be completed in three to five years, to be funded through private donations.
Acuzar had earlier said that the completion of the Pasig River rehabilitation project will be a “value added” to tourism in Manila.
He explained that apart from beautification and tourism, the project also aims to help address traffic problems in the cities along Pasig River by creating a seamless connection between road and water transport.
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