DHSUD celebrates triumphs, gains

In such a short period, it has achieved much and had followed through. And now, it has aptly set the stage for what seems to be a highly promising future for Philippine housing.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) celebrated its second anniversary earlier this week with so much to show for–successful innovative programs and relentless efforts to provide sustainable, resilient and affordable housing in well-planned communities to Filipinos, especially the underprivileged.

Headed by DHSUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, the agency has also forged strong partnerships with housing organizations, real estate companies, and other stakeholders, which paved the way for better and stronger collaboration between the public and private sectors.

Notwithstanding the unprecedented crisis, spate of calamities and numerous challenges that threw everyone off course, the DHSUD was able to live up to its mandate of promoting a vibrant housing and urban development sector, thanks to Del Rosario’s effective leadership, the solid coordination among key shelter agencies (KSAs), attached corporations, and partner developers, as well as the dedication and teamwork among DHSUD personnel.

Admittedly, much remains to be done. But the DHSUD no doubt has come a long way, from laying the foundations to shape the country’s housing sector to crafting new policies to ensure the industry’s future. These accomplishments were among the highlights of DHSUD’s week-long second anniversary celebration.

Simple yet meaningful

With the theme “Tahanang ligtas, abot-kaya at matatag; pamayanang matiwasay at panatag,” the DHSUD kicked off on Monday its celebration with a ribbon-cutting ceremony for an exhibit that highlighted DHSUD’s accomplishments and featured notable achievements by the KSAs. Held at the agency’s central office in Quezon City, the event was spearheaded by Del Rosario and graced by Pag-IBIG Fund CEO Acmad Rizaldy Moti, DHSUD Undersecretaries Marylin Pintor, Meynardo Sabili and Zyril Carlos, and Assistant Secretaries Melissa Aradanas, Leira Buan and Avelino Tolentino III and other key officials. Representatives from DHSUD’s attached corporations and partner developers were also present. A thanksgiving mass was later held prior to the start of the program proper.

Pintor, in her welcome remarks, likened last Monday’s event as a “simple, yet meaningful family affair,” wherein members celebrated their respective feats and laid out their plans on how to further improve the delivery of public service.

Del Rosario, for his part, stressed that the department’s perseverance and commitment helped it weather previous storms. He noted that “failures are as important as success,” and that the department had learned valuable experiences from them. He likewise expressed gratitude to DHSUD’s staff, whose teamwork and dedication kept DHSUD up and running despite the pandemic.

The housing czar further vowed to continue cementing stronger ties with DHSUD’s attached corporations, partner developers and housing stakeholders to better fulfill its mandate of providing resilient, sustainable and affordable housing communities to Filipinos, especially the low-income families.

“I firmly believe that we can do greater things if we work together towards a common goal. If we put our hearts and minds into anything that we want to do, the results will surely be at par with expectations of the Filipino people,” Del Rosario added.

Promoting connectivity

In continuation of this year’s celebration, the DHSUD on Tuesday signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with Alpha-3 Technologies to provide fast and secure community WiFi service in government housing projects via the BALAI-Net project. Del Rosario led the signing on behalf of DHSUD while Alpha-3 Technologies was represented by its president and chief executive officer Kristin Bangot. Witnessing the signing were Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC) president Arnolfo Ricardo Cabling, National Housing Authority (NHA) assistant general manager Vic Balba, and officials from Alpha-3 Technologies’ partner-service providers.

Under the MOA, Alpha-3 will provide connectivity to the community and will offer postpaid and prepaid packages to residents of resettlement sites nominated and selected by DHSUD, SHFC and NHA. This internet service will be optional. The BALAI-Net project is expected to have a bandwidth of up to 100 mbps per household for every selected relocation site, a guaranteed 99.99 percent uptime.

“This pact is part of government efforts to provide Filipino families with modern housing communities nationwide equipped with necessary infrastructure facilities including information technology. This undertaking is another proof that great things can be achieved through effective partnership between the government and private sector,” Del Rosario said.

OSHDP as a partner

On the same day, Del Rosario also spearheaded the administering of oath for the Organization of the Socialized and Economic Housing Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP) 2021 Officers.

OSHDP chairman Marcelino Mendoza and president Paolo Giovani Olivares both delivered their messages of commitment, pledging the organization’s support in producing more resilient and high quality socialized housing units for underprivileged Filipino families.

“Our program is a clear manifestation of our oneness with the private sector, most especially, our partner-developers. OSHDP is well-known for constructing settlements that would cover the socialized and economic housing categories,” Del Rosario said. “So it means that you are one with us in the mandate and mission of the department helping the poorest of the poor and low-income families so that they will have the comfort of their homes through your projects. I know that with this partnership, the private sector is truly indispensable for us to deliver the goods so to speak.”

“The OSHDP has been pivotal in ensuring the housing and real estate industry’s resiliency. We, at DHSUD, are proud to have them as a partner in serving the Filipino people,” the housing czar added.

Online platforms

On Wednesday, the DHSUD Del Rosario formally opened a webinar series aimed at informing and boosting engagement with stakeholders in promoting a vibrant housing sector.

The said webinars formed part of the agency’s efforts to raise public awareness on the department’s functions and goals, as well as to cement stronger relations with all stakeholders. It also seeks to highlight DHSUD’s accomplishments, particularly in terms of providing unwavering public service despite previous calamities and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

“Despite the pandemic, we never stopped exploring ways to fully open our doors to our stakeholders and the public to offer our services and other pertinent information relevant to human settlements and urban development. This webinar series, among other activities that we have for the month, is just one of the many initiatives that we intend to offer to massively engage our partners toward attaining our dreams and aspirations for the Filipino people,” Del Rosario said.

Housing and Real Estate Development Regulation Bureau OIC-Director Atty. Angel Aguila opened with a webinar discussing updates on policies regarding housing and real estate development. Similar webinars discussing an array of topics ranging from DHSUD’s future plans and activities to issues concerning homeowners’ associations will likewise be held throughout the month as part of the anniversary celebration.

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TAGS: Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, DHSUD