JV Ejercito tells DHSUD: Wala nang dapat maging iskwater sa sariling bayan
November 10, 2022
Senator Joseph Victor “JV” Ejercito on
Thursday said the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD)
should work double time to eradicate homelessness in the Philippines.
Ejercito, who principally sponsored the law on
the creation of the DHSUD during his first term in the Senate, reiterated the
need for the national government to address the country’s growing housing
backlogs.
“There is a tall order: six million ang
backlog natin, if I’m not mistaken. At the time we were drafting this measure,
it was only two million. Ang bilis. Exponential. We really have to think out of
the box,” he said.
“Sa akin po, ang target natin, the success of
the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, our aim: dapat wala
nang tawaging squatter sa sariling bayan,” he added.
The lawmaker from San Juan lamented the measly
funding that the country’s housing program has been receiving in recent years.
“Every year, the housing program receives one
of the lowest sa budget natin. We’re hoping na in next year’s budget, under the
new administration, since housing will be one of the priority programs of the
administration, we can hopefully increase (this),” he said.
Ejercito said the country’s housing program
should adopt township development as its framework, arguing that basic social
services and different sources of livelihood should be within the reach of
existing and future housing projects.
“Through the years, we have seen yung vicious
cycle na tinatapon sa malayo, malayo sa kabihasnan, malayo sa educational
facilities. So, ang nangyayari, iniiwan din, magsqusquat muli. We have to think
of township development. [...] It should be complete, with access to
healthcare, education, transport hubs, and livelihood,” he said.
Earlier today, the Senate approved the DHSUD’s
proposed budget amounting to P3.9 billion.
