Thursday, January 18, 2018

NEGROS Occidental Third District Rep. Alfredo Benitez continued to push for the creation of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development as he delivered his sponsorship remarks of House Bill 6775 on Wednesday.

The committee report on the bill described as “An Act Creating the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Defining its Mandate, Powers and Functions, and Appropriating Funds Therefor” was submitted by the House committees on government reorganization, housing and urban development, and appropriations on December 11, 2017.

In his sponsorship speech, Benitez said the nation cannot achieve its dream of inclusive development if problems as basic as housing cannot be addressed.

“The creation of this Department of Human Settlements is a critical step towards helping our citizens realize their dream of having their own house. This department will serve as a robust backbone structure towards building a stronger nation,” Benitez said.

In his speech at the 39th National Convention of the Real Estate Brokers Association of the Philippines Inc. in Bacolod last month, the country is facing a serious problem on the lack of decent housing as 57 percent of the Filipinos is still homeless.

He added that the government has to settle the problem because this has created a community of renters due to high cost of owning a house.

Benitez expressed confidence that with the passage of the law creating the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, this serious problem will be addressed.

The proposed establishment of public housing, using government owned properties can best address the lack of decent homes for Filipinos, he added.

Benitez said he will push for the utilization of government-owned properties for public housing. (with reports from NLG)