HOUSING FOR GOV’T. TEACHERS: Ejercito, Baronda push zero-down-payment condos for Iloilo teachers

ILOILO CITY — Public school teachers in Iloilo City moved a step closer to owning condominium units in one of the city’s most sought-after districts, with no down-payment required.

The National Housing Authority (NHA) presented the Iloilo City People’s Residences – Bakhaw to education officials on Monday.

The project is strongly backed by Sen. JV Ejercito, chair of the Senate Committee on Finance and the sponsor of the law that created the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

Ejercito sponsored Republic Act 11201, which was signed in February 2019 and established the DHSUD as the lead agency for housing and urban development.

The housing project is a priority of Iloilo City Lone District Rep. Julienne “Jam-Jam” Baronda. It targets public school teachers as its primary beneficiaries.

It is being carried out under the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, the flagship housing initiative of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. The NHA, led by General Manager Joeben Tai, is implementing the project.

Ma. Luz delos Reyes, schools division superintendent of the Schools Division of Iloilo City, attended the presentation with the division’s district supervisors.

For many teachers, the project offers what has long seemed out of reach: a condominium unit in a prime location, at a price they can plan for, and without any advance payment.

Teachers who have learned of the project have shown strong interest in applying.

“I want to help our teachers have safe, comfortable, accessible, and affordable housing with secure tenure, and at the same time help address our 22,000 housing unit backlog in Iloilo City,” Baronda said during the meeting.

“We want to take away one major worry from our teachers so they can focus more on teaching. This is the exact reason why I pushed for this housing development,” she added.

Prime Mandurriao location

The project will rise on a 3,934-square-meter lot owned by the NHA in Barangay Bakhaw, Mandurriao. The site is close to shopping malls, restaurants, hotels, and workplaces.

The location matters for teachers, many of whom commute across the city every day. A home in Mandurriao puts them near the commercial and transport hub of Iloilo City.

The Iloilo City People’s Residences – Bakhaw is a 15-story mid-rise building standing 44 meters tall, with a total floor area of 18,021.84 square meters. It will have:

• 435 residential units for teachers
• Ground-floor retail spaces along a 2.5-meter covered arcade
• An amenity deck on the fourth floor
• Parking slots, plus a sewage treatment plant and a materials recovery facility on site
• A driveway and elevator service for the residential floors

Residential units come in two sizes: a 27-square-meter typical unit and a 40-square-meter prime unit.

The residential floors run from the fifth to the 15th floors, with additional units on the lower floors.

The approved budget for the construction contract is PHP 686,651,892.12. Construction is set to start in 2027 and run for 720 calendar days.

The project recognizes the role teachers play in the city. They teach the children, keep the schools running, and often spend their own money on classroom needs.

For years, housing in good locations has been beyond what a teacher’s salary can reasonably support.

As a joint effort of the president, the NHA, and Baronda, with Ejercito’s support, the project also shows what national agencies and local representatives can deliver together.

Baronda, now in her third term, has supported programs for local development, governance, and social welfare.

Delos Reyes and the district supervisors are expected to relay information about the project to teachers in their districts, so every interested teacher in the division has the chance to apply.

Reaction from the education community has been warm. Educators at the presentation said they have long wanted homes of their own but were discouraged by high prices and strict financing requirements.

They said the relatively low monthly amortization and the location are what draw them to the project.

Second project for hospital patients’ families

The Bakhaw project is not the only housing development planned for the city. The NHA is also preparing the Iloilo City People’s Residences – PHHC, also on NHA land, on a 6,200.74-square-meter portion of Block 23, Barangay PHHC Block 22, Mandurriao.

The PHHC project, which will have the backing of Sen Erwin Tulfo, is a nine-story mixed-use building with lofted units of 32 and 24 square meters. The smaller unit is called a “Beta” unit.

Unlike Bakhaw, it is classified as a rental or transient housing project. Its target beneficiaries are the families of patients of the Western Visayas Medical Center (WVMC), who often need a place to stay near the hospital during treatment.

With the Bakhaw project presented and the PHHC project in the pipeline, Iloilo City is set to gain hundreds of new homes for the people who serve it, from teachers in classrooms to families waiting at hospital bedsides.

Teachers interested in the Bakhaw project are encouraged to coordinate with their school heads and district supervisors as the next steps are announced.

More Ilonggos are expected to benefit from Baronda’s housing initiatives. These include the survey of government property under a presidential proclamation so that occupants can later gain security of tenure.