SENATOR WANTS FULLY-FLEDGED HOUSING DEPARMENT
FOR LENI ROBREDO

Senator JV Ejercito is seeking for Vice President and newly-appointed Housing Czar Leni Robredo to head the management of a fully-fledged housing department that would effectively address the 5.5-Million housing backlog in the country.

Sen. Ejercito, who was the Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Urban Development, Housing, and Resettlement in the 16th Congress, is referring to his re-filed bill that would create the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHUD).

"I am happy to hear of VP Robredo's appointment as Chairwoman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC). She will surely be an asset to the President's cabinet. As previous Housing chair and advocate, I am also hopeful that VP Robredo will be instrumental in transforming HUDCC into a more effective Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development for the masses, and not just a coordinating agency," Ejercito today said.

In his bill, the senator envisions the DHUD to act as the sole and main planning and policy-making, regulatory, program coordination, and performance monitoring entity for all housing and urban development concerns.

"My proposal is for DHUD to consolidate, rationalize and coordinate the functions and powers of the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC), Home Guaranty Corporation (HGC), Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), National Housing Authority (NHA), and Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) in order to facilitate faster response to housing needs," Ejercito explained.

He stressed that the country is faced with a gargantuan task of resettling families residing in danger areas and those whose homes will be affected with the implementation of the government's transportation and infrastructure master plan. "This will happen not only in Metro Manila, but more so in other parts of the country targeted for development," he added.

Ejercito also emphasized the need to focus on building sustainable and resilient housing, integrating disaster risk management, after taking into consideration the tremendous toll on lives and properties from natural and man-made calamities, especially after Typhoons Ondoy, Pablo and Yolanda.