Published April 17, 2017 3:28pm
By ROSE-AN JESSICA DIOQUINO, GMA News

The head of the Housing and Urban Development committee at the House of Representatives on Monday said the recent takeover of urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (KADAMAY) of idle housing units in Bulacan showed gaps in the government’s approach toward the country’s housing problem.

Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez said they would like to find out if the solution “being provided by the government is effective,” particularly in addressing the issues of affordability and accessibility of the houses it builds for sectors that are supposed to benefit from these. 

"The question about housing is affordability. Can people afford a housing unit? You go out on the streets and people will say, 'It's too expensive, there's no way I can afford a decent housing unit.' If government does not intervene, then this will just become a dream for many Filipinos," he said in a television interview. 

Benitez also noted that many of the housing projects are built away from the city. 

"What happened was, the government says, 'Okay, affordability's an issue. We will give you housing units at P200 a month.' But they put it in far-flung areas. Those become useless for (beneficiaries) because their place of work... they have jobs and it will cost them an arm and a leg to get there. If the transportation cost is higher than their salary, then it (the house) becomes useless for them," he added. 

The Senate committee on urban planning, housing and resettlement, led by Sen. JV Ejercito, will conduct an inquiry on the housing program for members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police (AFP-PNP housing), along with other programs handled by the National Housing Authority (NHA).

The probe—expected to take on KADAMAY's takeover of idle housing units—was initially eyed as a joint congressional hearing, but Benitez said they were not able to get the approval at the plenary for this, given that Congress is on a break until May.

He said they will attend Tuesday’s hearing as guests, and may ask questions there with Ejercito’s permission. 

Aside from the said issues, Benitez said he would like to ask concerned agencies why many units in various housing projects are left unoccupied. 

He noted that in the AFP-PNP housing alone, there are only about 8 percent of occupied units from some 57,000 houses that have already been completed.

Benitez said this brings to question the reasons why there is a “very big disparity” between these numbers, noting the possibility that there may be “fake beneficiaries” among those listed to receive these houses.

KADAMAY members illegally occupied idle units in government housing projects in Pandi, Bulacan in March.

On April 4, President Rodrigo Duterte told the security forces to just give the housing project to the militant urban poor workers’ group. —KG, GMA News