Baronda says climate resilience is built into Western Visayas housing

ILOILO CITY — Government housing projects in Western Visayas are being designed with climate resilience in mind, including the selection of sites outside flood-prone areas, Iloilo City Rep. Julienne “JamJam” Baronda said.

Baronda sponsored the proposed PHP 5.088-billion budget of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) for 2027 during House plenary deliberations on Wednesday, Sept. 16.

She said climate resilience is already factored into the cost and design of housing units, particularly those planned for areas identified as vulnerable to flooding and other hazards.

“Definitely, the resilience of our homes is already included, and it is already embedded in the total cost of the project per unit,” Baronda said.

She cited the location of housing projects as one of the measures, saying units are being built in areas not prone to flooding.

For housing projects in Western Visayas, Baronda said the DHSUD and its attached agency, the National Housing Authority (NHA), have incorporated climate-resilience considerations, particularly in low-lying and other critical areas identified through hazard assessments.

“The proposal of NHA and DHSUD in Region 6, it is already incorporated, especially in areas identified by Project NOAH and the low-lying areas or yung mga critical areas,” she said.

Project NOAH, or the Nationwide Operational Assessment of Hazards, is a hazard-mapping program launched by the Department of Science and Technology in 2012 and now managed by the University of the Philippines Resilience Institute.

Baronda also called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to help identify and resolve environmental and hazard concerns affecting housing sites.

Expanded 4PH output

Her remarks came as the House took up the DHSUD’s proposed budget for 2027, which she said would support affordable housing, subsidized financing, and other programs aimed at providing safe and decent homes to Filipino families.

Of the proposed budget, PHP 1.1 billion is earmarked for housing interest subsidies and for the administration and implementation of the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, Baronda said.

The 4PH Program is the Marcos administration’s flagship housing initiative. The DHSUD expanded it starting in mid-2025 to move beyond its initial focus on condominium-type projects.

Baronda said the Expanded 4PH Program covers various housing modalities, including vertical and horizontal developments, the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program, Presidential Proclamation sites, rental housing, modular shelter units, high-density housing, Pag-IBIG Fund-acquired assets, and financing assistance.

In January, the DHSUD launched rental housing projects in Iloilo City and other cities.

As of August, the Expanded 4PH Program had generated 135,758 housing units across its various modalities, compared with 1,024 units produced during the first 35 months of the original program, according to Baronda.

Of the total, 15,543 vertical housing units and 15,775 horizontal housing units had been completed, she said.

As of Sept. 7, more than 11,700 beneficiary families had availed themselves of housing units under the program, with more than 70% belonging to the lowest three income deciles, she added.

Baronda said the government is targeting the production, financing, and provision of 1.13 million housing units by June 2028, when President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s term ends, with the Expanded 4PH Program expected to account for about one in every four units.

She said the government’s housing strategy also relies on affordable financing through the Home Development Mutual Fund, or Pag-IBIG Fund, which finances socialized and economic housing, including loans of up to PHP 10 million.

Need is not a construction quota

The lawmaker said the country’s housing need remains substantial, citing recent Philippine Statistics Authority data showing an estimated 3.77 million-unit housing need, including a 2.2 million-unit housing backlog.

She clarified that the figure should not be interpreted as a requirement for the government to directly construct 3.77 million houses.

“Addressing the housing needs requires both direct and indirect intervention, including affordable housing production, community development, home improvement, and accessible financing,” Baronda said.

Direct government intervention includes housing provision through the NHA and the Social Housing Finance Corp., while indirect interventions include financing and other support through the Pag-IBIG Fund and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp., she said.

“Ultimately, the success of our housing program is not measured solely by budgets obligated, projects launched, or units completed,” she said.

“It is measured by the number of Filipino families whose lives are transformed because they finally have a safe, secure, and dignified place to call home,” Baronda added.