ALLIANCE TO PUSH FOR SOCIALIZED HOUSING
The Socialized Housing Alliance Roundtable Endeavor aims to address the pressing needs of the socialized housing sector, which include a slowdown in construction and the spike in prices of construction materials and property values
Ten private and non-government organizations formed an alliance in Cebu on Wednesday to help ensure sustainable production of socialized housing in the country.
Initiated by the Organization of Socialized Housing Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP), the group formed the Socialized Housing Alliance Roundtable Endeavor (Share) to forge a stronger collective partnership to attain the objective of providing decent and quality homes for every Filipino.
This new alliance was declared during the OSHDP’s national convention in Cebu held in the Marco Polo Plaza Cebu.
Outlined in their Cebu declaration is the group’s renewed commitment to pursue and ensure a more responsive housing sector and strengthen the production of the socialized housing, the growth of which is slowing down.
Socialized housing are units priced at P450,000 and below.
“We have considered, with a sense of urgency, the continuous increase in housing needs in the country, widening housing backlog, and declining and deteriorating actual production of housing units, both in the public and private sectors, today,” read the Cebu declaration.
The new alliance also pledged to align priorities and support the government’s “Balai” project that aims to create inclusive communities through adequate and affordable housing.
In an interview, OSHDP national president Marcelino Mendoza welcomed the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council of the Philippines’ (HUDCC) immediate directive to its attached agency, Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), to pursue consistent dialogue with the housing players to address industry concerns.
Mendoza pointed out that the dialogue is important to them, especially now that the indus- try, specifically the socialized housing sector, is facing a number of challenges.
OSHDP’s urgent call on HLURB is to make initiatives to reverse the downward trend in socialized housing.
The group said they were alarmed by the latest report from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) StatDev 2017 which revealed that “all indicators under the shelter and housing sector showed low likelihoods of achieving their respective targets at the point of the medium term.” PSA also reported that building and construction of residential units are down by 12 percent compared to the same period last year.
“We don’t see this trend reversing in 2018 and by, our projection, it is still set to continue in the next three years if no major action is taken,” the OSHDP said.
The spike in the prices of construction materials, fuel and gas, and workers’ wages, as well as the steep increase in real property values in key cities because of the government’s Build, Build, Build program, is challenging the production of affordable housing.
Moreover, Mendoza said the unclear policies, confusing issuances, and red tape is also delaying new housing projects, application of new registrations and issuances of license to sell.
The proposed scrapping of tax incentives under the Train 2 package is also posing a threat to players wanting to help the government close the gap of the current housing backlog.
“We haven’t closed the gap yet for housing backlog, even with the incentives in place. How much more if it will be taken away?” said Mendoza.
The country’s housing backlog is somewhere between 168,000 and 190,000 units a year. By 2021, the housing need is projected to be around 6.7 million.
The two-day national convention also paved the way for industry players to reach out to local government officials.
Mendoza said they were able to raise awareness of the LGU’s role in the speedy processing of documents and release of permits to achieve housing targets. /