Push Admin

Initial list of 'idle lands' for public housing identified, says DHSUD

Article (news)

Raffy Cabristante, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. together with Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, leads the groundbreaking of the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing Project in Heroes Ville in Barangay Gaya-Gaya, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan on April 19, 2023. Rey Baniquet, PNA/file" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2023/life/04/19/20230419-pbbm.jpg"/><figcaption>President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. together with Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, leads the groundbreaking of the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing Project in Heroes Ville in Barangay Gaya-Gaya, City of San Jose del Monte, Bulacan on April 19, 2023. <em>Rey Baniquet, PNA/file</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA — The Philippines&#x27; housing czar on Thursday said his department has an initial list of possible &quot;idle lands&quot; to build public housing projects on, a day after an order from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. mandating this was publicly released.</p><p>Secretary Jerry Acuzar, chief of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), told TeleRadyo Serbisyo that his office has conducted initial inventory of suitable lands, but did not disclose additional details.</p><p>&quot;Di pa sigurado ang listahan namin kaya di namin mai-divulge, kasi kailangan siguraduhin po namin iyong listahan,&quot; he said.</p><p>(Our list isn&#x27;t final yet so I can&#x27;t divulge more details. We have to go over and finalize our list first.)</p><p>Acuzar also noted that implementing rules and regulations on President Marcos&#x27; order, which declared his Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) initiative as his administration&#x27;s flagship program, were still being crafted.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/07/19/23/marcos-orders-agencies-to-look-for-idle-land-for-housing">Marcos orders agencies to look for idle land for housing</a></li></ul><p>&quot;In a few weeks&#x27; time, baka maging kongkreto na lahat ito,&quot; he said.</p><p>(In a few weeks&#x27; time, these plans will hopefully become more concrete.) </p><p>Finalizing the inventory, Acuzar said, includes coordinating with land agencies on the acquisition of the idle lands for public housing.</p><p>Employees of the said agencies may avail of the public housing and may even be given priority, he also said.</p><p>&quot;Dapat may coordination po yan eh, para wala kaming problema sa mga agencies. Kasi po yung mga agencies dapat respetuhin din natin kasi sila po ang tunay na may-ari. Kami po ay humihiling lang na kung pwede ay magkaroon din po ng pabahay para magkaroon po ng lupa,&quot; Acuzar added.</p><p>(There has to be coordination with the agencies so that we wouldn&#x27;t run into any problems. We have to respect these agencies because they are the true owners of the land. We are only requesting their lands to be used for public housing.)</p><p>Asked what the DHSUD would do if the identified idle lands had informal settlers, Acuzar said these residents will also benefit from public housing without having to leave their settlements.</p><p>&quot;Maganda po sa amin, kasi po wala na kaming pag-uusapan. Sisiguraduhin po namin, iyong lupa pong tinitirhan ng mga squatter kung nasaan po ang kinalalagyan nila, pag government land, itatabi po natin sila at doon po mismo sa tabi na iyon, doon din po sila magkakabahay,&quot; he added.</p><p>(That&#x27;s good because we wouldn&#x27;t have negotiate anything. We would make sure that that if the squatters live on government land, we will set aside this land for them and build houses for them there.)</p><p>Under the 4PH program, the housing department aims to build a million housing units annually under Marcos steps down from office in 2028 in an effort to address the Philippines&#x27; housing backlog.</p><p>In April, the President said his administration is currently building 1.2 million housing units. </p><p>Malacañang earlier said in November that 16,000 hectares of idle land may be used for the program. </p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/19/23/construction-of-12-m-housing-units-underway-marcos-jr">Construction of 1.2-M housing units underway, says Marcos Jr.</a></li></ul><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2514020" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

But housing czar Jerry Acuzar did not disclose details on the initially identified 'idle lands' as his list has not been finalized yet.

Initial list of 'idle lands' for public housing identified, says DHSUD

News

Entertainment

Lifestyle

Sports

Metro.Style

More

Sudoku

Word of the Day

Lotto

Horoscope

News

Initial list of 'idle lands' for public housing identified, says DHSUD

Raffy Cabristante,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 20, 2023 01:51 PM PHT

Read More:

DHSUD

Jerry Acuzar

Ferdinand Marcos Jr.

public housing

Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino

4PH

ABS-CBN is the leading media and entertainment company in the Philippines, offering quality content across TV, radio, digital, and film. Committed to public service and promoting Filipino values, ABS-CBN continues to inspire and connect audiences worldwide.

Corporate

Investors

Governance

International Distribution

Corporate

Governance

Investors

International Distribution

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

AI Policy

Terms of Service

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.

NPC Seal of Registration

Privacy Policy

Terms of Service

AI Policy

Advertise with Us

© 2026 ABS-CBN Corporation. All Rights Reserved.