OFW Party List Rep. Marissa ‘Del Mar’ Magsino and Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Rizalino “Jerry” Acuzar.
OFW Party-List Rep. Marissa ‘Del Mar’ Magsino and Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Rizalino “Jerry” Acuzar signed a Memorandum of Agreement today for the Pambansang Pabahay Program para sa mga OFWs.
The party list solon said one of the dreams of an Overseas Filipino Worker (OFW) is to be able to save up by toiling abroad for a house they can call their own. For this reason, OFW Party List reached out to DHSUD Secretary Acuzar to include OFWs as beneficiaries of the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) Program of the government.
“Lubos akong nagpapasalamat kay Pangulong Marcos, kay Secretary Acuzar, at sa buong DHSUD sa agarang aksyon na maisakatuparan ang isa sa pinakatanging pangarap ng ating mga OFWs — ang magkaroon ng sariling tirahan. Sa kabila ng kanilang sakripisyo para sa pamilya at malaking kontribusyon sa ating ekonomiya, panahon na talagang magkaroon ang ating mga OFWs, lalo na ang mga nasa elementary occupations, na magkaroon ng disenteng tahanang kanilang maipupundar para sa pamilya sa halagang hindi magiging pabigat sa kanila,” said Magsino.
The Memorandum of Agreement includes the allocation of units in the housing projects of DHSUD to OFWs, returnees, and family members. DHSUD will provide the details of housing projects in the pipeline, which the OFW Party List can match with OFWs who have signified their intention to be prospective beneficiaries. DHSUD will then manage the assessment and pre-qualification of the validated and endorsed beneficiaries of the project.
DHSUD’s Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program aims to service the country’s housing needs, currently estimated at six and a half million, by targeting to construct one million housing units per year for the next six (6) years. Presently, DHSUD has signed agreements with one hundred twenty-three (123) local government units for housing projects all over the country. The Department has three hundred sixty-four (364) ongoing projects, ten (10) of which are ongoing constructions in Bacolod City, Marikina City, Quezon City, Tanauan City, Palayan City, Binan City, Zamboanga City, Ilagan City, Roxas Province, and Norther Samar Province.
“Prior to being a legislator, I was actively involved in the housing industry as Chairlady of the National Real Estate Association, thus, there is a strong bond that ties up two of my primary advocacies: that of providing decent and affordable housing to our people, and that of the aspiration of our OFWs to realize their long-cherished dream of acquiring their own homes for their families, upon their return and retirement. That is why I consider our Pambansang Pabahay Program para sa mga OFWs with DHSUD a major accomplishment in my first term as Representative of the OFW Party List,” said Magsino.
