Quezon city: Barely a month after a destructive fire gutted thousands of houses in an informal settlement along NIA Road in Quezon City, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) has started ground preparations to make way for the construction of a housing project under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s flagship Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program for the displaced families. DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling, along with Senior Undersecretary Eduardo Robles Jr. and National Housing Authority General Manager Joeben Tai, inspected the site on Monday to ensure that works are within the timelines set for the new project.

According to Philippines News Agency, Aliling emphasized that the project will be part of DHSUD's urban renewal program, in close collaboration with the National Housing Authority and the local government, aimed at transforming blighted areas into decent, safer, and sustainable communities. "President Marcos Jr.'s directive is clear -- no one will be displaced when disasters occur. That is why DHSUD, together with the NHA and Quezon City government, is taking immediate action to build a housing project here on NIA Road under the Expanded 4PH Program," Aliling stated in a news release Tuesday.

The fire, which occurred on March 7, displaced more than 2,000 families from the informal settlement. Two days after the incident, Aliling and Mayor Joy Belmonte visited the site and agreed to pursue the housing project under the Expanded 4PH, with initial housing assistance subsequently provided to the fire victims. The DHSUD and Quezon City local government unit are considering a rental housing scheme for the NIA Road project to ensure sustainability.