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PHILIPPINE DAILY INQUIRER Editor Theresa S. Samaniego

Desk Editor Amy R. Remo PROPERTY STAUNCH STEWARD OF PH HOUSING

By Din M. Villafuerte @dinmveeINQ

ealizing the various challenges of the coun- try’s housing situation R ignited the fire in him to go beyond the job of being a real estate developer. It has been a decade since property developer Jeffrey Ng was invited by his friend, the late Willie Uy, to join the board of the Subdivision and Housing Developers Associa- tion Inc. (SHDA). “Since then I have understood and real- ized the different problems, the pitfalls, the intricacies that the housing industry is facing,” shared Ng. “As a developer, we’re here to make profits but it should be more than that,” said SHDA’s outgoing chair- man. “It’s more than just making profit. It’s also doing our social obligation to soci- ety, of creating a legacy, wherein every Filipino can, hopefully in the next 10 years, finally get to own their own home. It’s about making an impact on the communi- ties we’re in, in our society and in the country.” Ng also attributes his drive to pay it forward to be- ing a product of the Universi- ty of the . “As an economist and as an Iskolar ng Bayan, I think it’s time to give back to peo- ple who paid for my educa- tion in UP,” said the UP School of Economics gradu- ate. It has thus become an advocacy of Ng to work with all the other private develop- ers, government agencies, the Executive branch and Congress and rally all these groups to work together to make housing more afford- able and available. The past three years saw Ng getting involved more than ever in SHDA. He served as first vice president in 2017 before becoming president in 2018 and followed by being elected chairman this year. “The past three years we have worked closely with the Senate committee on hous- ing under Sen. JV Ejercito and the House committee on housing under (Rep.) Albee Benitez and after 30 years pending in Congress, they finally passed the bill to form the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development,” Ng recalled. He explained that unlike in the past wherein the Housing and Urban Develop- ment Coordinating Council (HUDCC) chairman merely coordinates with the differ- ent key shelter agencies, there will now have one leader in charge of imple- menting the housing pro- gram of the government, a Cabinet secretary who will be responsible to the President, to Congress and to the Filipino people in ensuring that the housing backlog is really going to be reduced. According to Ng, this con- solidation of the govern- ment’s housing units into one key agency benefits both developers and ordinary Fil- ipinos. Developers can look forward to getting their HLURB housing permit ap- provals faster. “There is go- ing to be better coordination among these key shelter agencies,” he added. In turn, this will B4-2 SATURDAY /NOVEMBER 30, 2019 B4-2 PROPERTY WWW.INQUIRER.NET HOUSING IN FOCUS

ousing backlog in the country reached 1.034 mil- Housing segments classified according to price range as defined by the lion in 2018, most of which Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC ): are for the improvement of H Housing backlog in the “unacceptable” housing pro- 6.57M country for 2018 alone Socialized Housing—selling price is P450,000 and below jects such as informal settle- Economic Housing—selling price is more than P450,000 up to P1.7 million ments and dilapidated units, Low Cost Housing—selling price is above P1.7 million to P3 million according to the 2018 socioeco- Medium Cost Housing—selling price is above P3 million up to P4 million nomic report of the National Open Market or High Housing—selling price of the house is above P4 million Economic and Development Authority (Neda). The 2018 figure is just 15.7 percent of the projected total housing need of 6.57 million from 42,309 2017 to 2022 based on the study 1.034 M Number of households in the conducted by the Philippine Sta- country whose roof are made of tistical Research Institute. Socialized housing units built 5,724 only of tarpaulin, according to Government data showed from January to September 2018 Philippine Statistics Authority Housing resettlements built for (PSA) data in 2015 that it provided 109,391 housing informal settler families from units from January to Septem- 1000 January to September 2018 ber last year, almost half of the 1000 Total budget allocated for 2018 target of 251,342 units or 24 housing sector in 2019, down percent of housing needs. from P5.5 billion in 2018 and P3 B 1000 The National Housing Au- 60,219 P15.3 billion in 2017 thority cited insufficient man- power, bureaucratic red tape, Housing needs in the 4,796 country from 2017 to 2022 right-of-way issues and limited Housing units that have budget as factors for its poor per- no walls, according to formance in 2018, the report said. 48,369 2015 PSA data Another challenge that the housing sector needs to ad- Low-cost housing units provided dress, according to the report, from January to September 2018 72,416 are gaps in housing data. The Number of households in the lack of a centralized database of country whose roof are made of government housing beneficia- Housing units completed and turned makeshift or salvaged materials, ries have caused delays or 1,052 over to beneficiaries in Marawi rehab according to 2015 PSA data errors in the awarding of units. program, as of November 2018 Compiled by Inquirer Research

SHDA and Ng honor Sen. JV Ejercito (fourth from left) for being one of the principal authors of Paying a courtesy call to Agrarian Reform Sec. John Castriciones (seated) the law creating the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development. STAUNCH STEWARD OF PH HOUSING result in prop- FROM B4-1 erty developers building faster and more efficiently. “We can be more competitive and sell cheaper, better houses to the ordinary Filipino homebuyer,” Ng further disclosed. SHDA, up to now, is working with Senate and Congress for the implementing rules and reg- With HUDCC Sec. after signing a MOA ulations so that it will finally be between the government agency and the association. operational next year. Another accomplishment relates Ng. “They would have to “I think I have put in my time that Ng is proud of as chairman work hard and become more in the past ten years so it’s time to of SHDA is how the organiza- productive citizens because they move on. It's about time to let tion was able to bring to the at- have to pay a monthly amortiza- fresh people handle the situation, tention of Pres. Duterte and tion of the house for the next 25 take over the leadership of SH- Agrarian Reform Secretary John to 30 years.” This results in less DA,” he explained when asked Castriciones how the land con- Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Sec. Eduardo Del Rosario non-productive citizens. why he did not put himself up for version process sometimes (center) witnesses the awarding of SHDA’s donation to the Madrasa School in Marawi. SHDA’s chairman thus en- reelection. “I will stay on as an takes up to two years. courages all property developers adviser to the board in the years The long and tedious process supply of available land for to get involved, as part of their to come, not as a fully active offi- involves going through a myriad mass housing in the country, es- respective companies’ corporate cer,” he concluded. of government agencies. pecially around urban areas. social responsibility and as their As his term as SHDA chair- “When the President heard In economic terms, accord- civic duty, and put in time to man ends, Ng urges the govern- about it, together with the DAR ing to Ng, mass housing has the help the government lower the ment to give more attention and secretary, they had taken out biggest multiplier effect on the housing backlog. “Decrease the more funding to the housing in- the DA certification as a re- country. It has an effect on so backlog to zero in the next 10 dustry. “The funding for hous- quirement for the land conver- many other industries plus it years. It’s impossible but that’s ing industry has been going sion process,” explained Ng. impacts society as well. SHDA’s fighting goal,” he said. down the past several years and Land conversion process will “Once people get to own Lofty goal aside, Ng said to we hope that this will be re- soon take just a few months, their own house, they become With HUDCC Sec. Del Rosario (center) and former Rep. Albee cut the backlog by half—down to versed by next year once the unlike in the previous years. far more responsible citizens,” Benitez (fourth from left) 3 million—would be a big suc- Department of Human Settle- With Ng at the helm, SHDA cess in itself: “I think even if we ments and Urban Development had also worked closely with can dramatically reduce the is in place,” he shared. the Foundation for Economic backlog that would be a success Ng stresses on the govern- Freedom to free up more agri- already. The backlog has been in- ment and private sector’s need cultural land for housing use, creasing the past 20, 30 years. If to address the housing backlog subdivision use, and other in- we don't improve, the backlog in the country which is now at dustrial uses. “We need to free will even increase to 10 to 12 mil- 6.5 million houses. Multiply up more land so that farmers lion from 6.5 million. It will dou- that number by four—assum- can be able to mortgage or sell ble unless we reverse that trend.” ing that each house consists of their free patents,” said Ng. He is confident that the or- four family members—and “With the help of FEF, ganization’s next leaders, such you’re talking about almost 25 Congress also passed the agri- as president Raphael Felix and million who still do cultural free patent reform law first vice president Rosie Tsai, not have a house to call their which would allow agricultural will be able to bring SHDA to very own. free patents to be transferable greater heights and more suc- “This is really a pity because and mortgageable to other indi- cess in ensuring that we work it's a right of every Filipino to viduals, and even corporations,” closely with government to own his own home,” he shared. he added. This means that there SHDA brass pay a courtesy call on Sen. Francis Tolentino (seventh from left), Chairman of the bring down the backlog to zero “And it’s a cause worth fighting would be a slight increase in the Senate Committee on Housing. in the next 10 years. for.”