CLARK FREEPORT – Amid disasters blamed on climate change worldwide, Pres. Aquino expressed here yesterday support for the construction of “disaster-resistant eco-villages” for the homeless.
In his speech read for him by Interior and Local Governments Sec. Jesse Robredo during the 2nd national convention of housing developers, the President also tasked local governments to “create shelter plans” and “prepare land use plans” for socialized housing and resettlement.
“We have asked them to certify the status of these lands, which would be considered as one of the factors in the evaluation of the market value of land for socialized housing,” he said.
The President called on “private developers and allied groups nationwide” to coordinate with local government units to provide affordable housing for the poor.
He stressed the need to find alternative indigenous, low-cost materials to bring down the cost of housing within the reach of the poor.
He cited the plans “to bring together organizations like Phinma, Habitat, and Eton Properties to talk about green designs for more affordable housing for informal settlers.”
“We are particularly pleased with recent plans by a group of architects via the Design Against the Elements Project which aims to build disaster-resistant eco-villages,” he said.
The President stressed that “if there is one thing that can make these plans even better, it would be the active participation of local government units.”
“The Department of Interior and Local Government is considering encouraging local government units to become more involved in the welfare of their informal settlers by supporting champion LGU’s in the National Capital Region and all other regions,” he said.
The President expressed confidence that despite “fears of another global recession hitting the United States, this (housing industry) in particular continues to expand.”
“We want to sustain this appetite for houses among developers in your sector, because the more your sector grows, the more chances our people will have to afford homes of their own and the more chances they will have to dwell in communities that can inspire them to be productive, creative and to participate in collaborative change,” he added.
