President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. leads the Ceremonial Turnover of the NHA Balanga City Low-Rise Housing Project at Barangay Tenejero, Balanga City, Bataan. Rene H. Dilan, PPA pool/File  

MANILA – The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) on Friday said the administration would complete its target to build 6 million affordable housing units for Filipinos. 

This, despite eyeing the completion of only over 3 million units within President Ferdinand Marcos Jr's term. 

Government halves number of low-cost housing units it aims to build by 2028

In a televised interview, DHSUD Secretary and Housing czar Jerry Acuzar said that while they have been able to secure the funding and plans for the projects under the administration’s flagship housing program, the actual construction of the buildings would take time.

“Ang malaking problema lang namin dito ay iyong implementation, iyong construction. Kasi kapag sabay-sabay mong tayuan…kukulangin tayo ng contractors, kukulangin tayo ng workers,” Acuzar said.

“Kaya itong ginawa nating solution ay step by step. Inuna natin iyong funding; inuna natin iyong plano; inuna natin iyong regulation na dapat kapag nagtayo ka ng building ay may parks. So nabuo natin lahat ng plano. Ngayon, nagtatayuan na ang mga iyan,” he continued. 

“Kaunting pasensiya na lang po kasi nasa construction na tayo. Alam ninyo kasi ang building hindi puwedeng madaliin.”

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Acuzar said the DHSUD has 55 ongoing housing projects all over the country which are all funded by private companies.

“Mga 170,000 units ‘to more or less ano. Gamit nito ay private funds ano… Nakuha natin sa private funds, almost 170 billion,” he said.

Marcos Jr. in August approved a sovereign guarantee for the national housing program, giving government assurance to investors that debt repayment would be fulfilled without fail.

Marcos Jr. OKs proposed sovereign guarantee on costs of public housing