Camille Naredo

Urban poor residents troop to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) marching and shouting slogans, as they hold a protest in Quezon City on October 2, 2023, to lobby for affordable amortizations in the provision of housing units for the poor. In Quezon City, many of them come from the government’s highway project of Segment 8.2, NLEX-C5 Link where around 20,000 families will be demolished to complete. Just like them, informal settlers need Genuine and adequate Public Housing
of women, workers, and youth from various urban poor. Jonathan Cellona, ABS-CBN News

Article (news)

DHSUD

Agatha Gregorio

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — A lawmaker has suggested transferring projects from the public works department to housing, citing inadequate funding for housing projects.At the budget hearing for the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and its attached agencies, Bacolod Lone District Rep. Alfredo “Albee” Benitez joined other lawmakers in noting the budget given to DHSUD and its attached agencies under the 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP).“There should be more funds being given to the housing department because it makes economic sense, one, and mas marami po tayong natutulungan… I think maybe we can review the budget being allocated sa ating DHSUD. And I have actually mentioned that maybe some of those project in DPWH can be transferred to housing industry because it doesn’t just make economic sense. It also makes a lot of sense,” Benitez said.DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling, meanwhile, said he wants the National Housing Authority (NHA) and Social Housing Finance Corporation’s (SHFC) budgets to be reverted to how it was during the Duterte and Aquino administrations, adding he relayed this request to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.But the DHSUD and attached agencies still suffered a P220.2-billion budget cut in the 2026 NEP in comparison to its P225.844-billion proposed budget.In spite of this, Aliling said they are not asking for additional funds. “What we explained to the president during my first meeting with him when I was appointed, ang request ko sana is ibalik muna ‘yung usual budget ng NHA. When I say ibalik sa usual budget, ito po ‘yung usual budget itong past two administration of President  Duterte and President Aquino, which is P10 billion. Ito pong since 2022, ang nabibigay lang na budget sa NHA is only P2 billion,” Aliling said.In 2017, during the Duterte administration, the NHA was allocated P12.68 billion.Aliling added that the SHFC, which oversees the community mortgage program (CMP), had often gotten a P500 million budget in the aforementioned administrations.But in the NEP, only P166 million was allotted for this.“Kaya naman po kami hindi humihingi ng additional funds, we want to respect the process. Dumaan po kami sa proseso. Sinubukan po namin magpaliwanag. Unfortunately, ito po ‘yung nabigay sa amin sa NEP. So we want to respect the decision of the DBM,” Aliling said.Other House lawmakers stressed the need for a higher budget for DHSUD, with Cagayan De Oro 2nd District Rep. Rufus Rodriguez saying he was “disappointed” by Aliling’s statement about not asking for more funding.Rodriguez expressed his belief that the department and attached agencies are “clearly” underfinanced.“The secretary should fight always for the increase. You are the head. You cannot say, ‘We don’t need budget.’… We have to have that mentality, Secretary, of fighting it out no matter what,” Rodriguez said.“We are going to ask from the secretary what are needed for our DHSUD and the agencies, especially NHA. And let us work it out,” Rodriguez said.Aliling explained they would first like to prove themselves through their programs.

A lawmaker suggests transferring projects from the public works department to housing citing inadequate funding for housing projects.

A lawmaker suggests transferring projects from the public works department to housing citing inadequate funding for housing projects.

House lawmaker wants some DPWH projects transferred to housing

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House lawmaker wants some DPWH projects transferred to housing

Agatha Gregorio,

ABS-CBN News

Published Sep 02, 2025 12:03 AM PHT

|

Updated Sep 02, 2025 10:28 AM PHT

Read More:

housing

DHSUD

House of Representatives

budget

Marcos administration

Duterte administration

Aquino administration

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