The city of Davao is bent on providing housing for 59,000 households in the next five years as mandated by the Comprehensive Urban Shelter and Services Development Code of 2007.
But where to source the P40 Billion amount needed to make the dream come true?
It is a tall order indeed, conceded Councilor Rene Elias Lopez, chair of the committee on housing, rural and urban development at the Pulong pulong ni Pulong on Tuesday.
He said the city is looking forward to source P10-Billion of the total amount from government agencies to include the National Housing Authority.
“We are also looking towards international agencies and the United Nation’s housing agency for assistance,” he said.
The city has set its eyes on purchasing 223 hectares of land to address the 59,000 housing backlog but would need a total of 668 hectares in the long term.
Of the number, 30,000 households are squatting on private lands while 19,000 households are currently residing in danger zones.
At least eight to 9,000 households are in danger of being evicted.
Lopez said there is no timetable for the implementation ‘but 2018 will be a crucial year’ in so far as addressing the housing back log is concern.
The city’s shelter code is considered the first LGU-initiated code of its kind in the Philippines and is meant to ensure that all Dabawenyos are entitled to shelter.
Lopez said it addresses the concerns faced by informal settlers, displaced persons and squatters.
He said the city government is currently at work in hammering out a local shelter plan that would be submitted to multi-sectoral review and consultation before it will be implemented.
He said the housing units will address the issues of accessibility, tenure, land area, affordability, sanitary and health.
He added that the city’s ongoing housing project is located in Tugbok, with some of the beneficiaries already in occupation.
