LINGAYEN–A total of 154,197 families in Pangasinan still need homes of their own, according to Alvin Bigay, chief of the Provincial Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Office (PHUDCO).

Bigay told the Talakayan sa Kapitolyo on Tuesday that this housing backlog is what the provincial government, with the help of various government agencies, is trying to address.

The biggest number of families who need housing, he said, are in the Fourth District, numbering 35,863, followed by Third District, 30,272; First District, 25,530; Fifth District, 22,736; Second District, 22,507; and Sixth District, 17,289.

Bigay said only 63 families in Pangasinan are literally homeless, 31 in the First District, 13 in the Fifth District; 12 in the Fourth District; five in the Third District; two in the Second District. Not one in the Sixth District.

On the other hand, there are 68,174 displaced families in the province, the most are from the First District, 11,215; Fourth District, 10,067; Fifth District, 8,058; Second District, 6,858; Third District, 6,409; and Sixth district, 1,969.

Bigay challenged municipalities to seek land donation to be converted as sites of socialized housing projects for their low-salaried government employees and people without homes.

He believes that the backlog in the province could be addressed with the planned creation of the Department of Housing and Human Settlement.

He said several housing projects have already been established by the provincial government for government employees and for ordinary wage earners, all are already occupied.

If wealthy families can donate their lands, the PHUDCO will develop the same as socialized housing projects.

He clarified that houses in these projects are not given free. The prospective owners are required to amortize their units. (Leonardo Micua)

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