LINGAYEN – Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Undersecretary Cecilia Alba hailed Gov. Amado T. Espino, Jr. for his earnest effort in developing housing sites for the informal settlers.

“We really need a leader who has political will to realize this program for poor people,” said Alba, adding that the national government could not singlehandedly address the squatting problems in the country.

According to Alba, the HUDCC headed by Vice President Jejomar Binay together with National Housing Authority and other key shelter agencies have been reaching out to the various local government units (LGUs) nationwide since 2011 to localize the delivery of housing services.

Other key shelter agencies (KSA) include the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), National Housing Mortgage Fund Corporation (NHMFC), Housing and Land Use and Regulatory Board (HULRB), and the Home Mutual Development Fund (Pag-Ibig Fund).

In a meeting with Alba’s group, Espino said the housing program is one of the priority development thrusts of the provincial government.

 “Kahit hindi pa nga dumarating ang pondo ng NHA, inuumpisahan na namin ang filling works sa Aplaya resettlement site para mapadali ang proyekto at mai-relocate na namin ang mga squatters na nakatira ngayon sa tabing ilog, at sa likod ng Provincial Jail at tabi ng Lingayen District Hospital,” said Espino.

Referring to the Aplaya West Resettlement Project, a relocation site in Pangasinan Norte for the identified 295 informal settlers in Lingayen, the governor said his main concern is “to give these families a decent and dignified life by providing them a comfortable home which they could call their own.”

Espino thanked the NHA for granting the province an P8.3 million fund for the Aplaya resettlement project. The governor said this would boost the province’s housing program that caters the homeless Pangasinenses.

Alba also congratulated Pangasinan for being the only province that has 25 towns out of 48 LGUs or 52 percent that have already completed the local shelter plan (LSP) and comprehensive land use plan (CLUP).

“Having these two is very crucial in every LGU because this would help them determine the number of informal settlers they have in their locality as well as help them identify available land resources suitable for their own housing programs,” Alba said.

Likewise, the province has been commended for being the only province in the country which has a Provincial Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Office (PHUDCO). (Merly R. Tibalao/PIO)

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