Developers urged to build more affordable housing

THE Home Development Mutual Fund (Pagibig) is encouraging land developers in the region to offer more affordable housing units as an answer to the rising number of PagIbig members who still cannot afford to buy a house.

Speaking during a press conference at NCCC Mall Davao yesterday, September 9, Pag-ibig Mindanao Housing Business Officer-In-Charge Cesar Bazan said land developers are encouraged to offer more housing units worth P450,000 to provide equal opportunity for the minimum earners.

Bazan said many of the Pag-ibig members in the city are employees who have less than P16,000 monthly income and have less capacity to avail housing offers of various land developers in the city, thus, most of them still rent spaces.

"Most developers here are offering housing units with a minimum price of P1 million by which low to middle range earners still find it difficult to afford," Bazan said.

There are 97 accreditted housing projects in Davao Region, he said, wherein at least 60 percent of it are situated in the city.

Bazan said Pag-ibig has been consistently conducting open discussions with prospective land developing company partners to discuss with them the matter.

Luckily, few developers, he said, agreed to the agency's request and promised to provide affordable house offers in their next projects.

"Our partnership with developers is the only way we can provide our members inexpensive shelters they can call their own. That is why we are always reaching out to possible partner developers throughout the country and bring them here in the city," Bazan said.