Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas urged other local government units (LGUs) in the country to support the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program (4PH), the flagship housing project of the Marcos administration that provides opportunities to indigent families to own a house.
Treñas made the call during the signing of a memorandum of agreement (MOA) on Tuesday for the third 4PH project that will be established in the city by the Phinma Property Holding Corporation.
Signatories to the MOA included Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Undersecretary Roland Samuel Young and Western Visayas Regional Director Eva Maria Marfil, Phinma community housing head Luis Oquiñena and chief business development officer Francis Richmond Villegas, Treñas and City Administrator Melchor Tan.
“I am happy with this government program. I will support this, and I think all LGUs should support this because it is a chance to give our poor residents houses,” the mayor said in his message during the signing.
The third project will be developed under the turnkey scheme, where the developer owns the land, develops the site, and builds the house. The city government will identify families qualified to avail of the units.
“They are looking at a total of 2,000 housing units in the lot that they purchased in Barangay San Isidro. Our role is to identify the beneficiaries,” the mayor said in an interview.
Meanwhile, Marfil said they are campaigning for private lots to be used for the project because it expedites the process.
The two other housing projects in the city developed under a joint venture agreement with the Eon Realty Development Corporation and the Ethan Property Developer have yet to start pending the review and approval of the Public-Private Partnership Center.
“According to (the) mayor, we are delayed in our two projects because it’s government-owned land, so their feasibility study has to pass through the PPP Center for review and approval,” Marfil said.
The projects are supposed to be built on government-owned lots in Barangay San Isidro and Petalsville Subdivision with Eon constructing around 1,260 units and close to 900 units by Ethan.
Marfil added that they are now waiting for Phinma to submit their technical plans. (PNA)