Iloilo city: The proposed PHP5.088-billion budget for the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) is anticipated to uphold government initiatives focused on affordable housing, subsidized financing, and providing decent homes for Filipinos, according to Iloilo City Lone District Representative Julienne Baronda.
According to Philippines News Agency, Baronda, who serves as vice chair of the House Appropriations Committee, defended the proposed budget of the DHSUD and its attached agencies-the National Housing Authority (NHA), Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), and National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC)-during the plenary deliberation of the 2027 national budget. She acknowledged existing challenges in addressing the country's housing needs but affirmed that the DHSUD, led by Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling, is committed to achieving its targets.
"The DHSUD family has taken note of these and has promised to find solutions with the help of other government agencies, including the House of Representatives," Baronda said in a statement shared with local media. She highlighted that shelter agencies aim to reduce the country's housing demand from 3.77 million units to 1.13 million by 2028 through direct housing provisions by the NHA and SHFC, and indirect housing provisions through the Home Development Mutual Fund and the NHMFC.
Guided by the vision of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., and following Executive Order No. 34, the housing sector has adopted an inclusive, beneficiary-centered, and multi-modal housing strategy. This approach recognizes that no single housing solution can address the various needs of Filipino families. The strategy includes vertical and horizontal housing developments, rental housing, an enhanced community mortgage program, incremental housing, presidential proclamation sites, high-density housing, and temporary or modular shelters.
In Iloilo City, Baronda is spearheading a housing project with the NHA in Barangay Tabuc Suba, Jaro. The Iloilo City People's Residences, designed to benefit teachers and informal-sector workers affected by infrastructure development projects, is more than 80 percent complete.
