AS the city is continuing progress on its first socialized permaculture housing project Luna Terraces in Barangay Irisan, the city government has identified some 15,000 families as in need of socialized housing.
The Luna Terraces project is only expected to house some 273 families, and the high need has led to the city looking for other lots to use for more socialized housing.
Target families for the housing projects must qualify under Section 16, Article V of Republic Act 7279, which mandates that they are Filipino citizens, underprivileged and homeless, not in possession or ownership of any real property, and must not be a professional squatter or part of an informal settler syndicate.
The beneficiaries targeted are those who are residing in danger areas or other public places, those displaced by calamities and human-induced disasters such as fires, and those displaced from sites slated for government infrastructure and court orders for demolition and eviction.
Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong also earlier added that city government employees renting residences will be allotted slots in future projects.
City Assessor Maria Addawe, who was tasked by Magalong to look for more lots for use in socialized housing in and out of Baguio for its informal settlers, said that the eight lots offered by private entities are now being inspected.
“Due diligence will be done to check if these lots are fit for our intended purpose which is for socialized housing projects,” she said.
Magalong said that the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) is assisting with the projects, with Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario committing to further assist with the city’s socialized housing efforts in addition to the ongoing Luna Terraces in Barangay Irisan.
The Luna Terraces project is being implemented by the National Housing Authority (NHA), and is funded by both the DHSUD and the NHA. The DHSUD gave P155 million for the site development of the Luna Terraces, while the NHA provided a total of P326 million for all of the city’s housing projects, P50 million of which have been downloaded for the Luna Terraces project.
