Iloilo City bets big on socialized housing with PHP 200-M loan

 By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

Iloilo City is steadily expanding its socialized housing program through large-scale land acquisition and multiple ongoing developments aimed at easing the city’s housing backlog, according to the Iloilo City Local Housing Office (ICLHO).

ICLHO head Peter Millare cited the city’s PHP 200-million loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines in 2023, which was allocated for lot acquisition intended as relocation sites for the city’s socialized housing programs.

From the loan proceeds, Millare said the city government has acquired around 15 hectares of land for housing projects, particularly those to be supported by the National Housing Authority (NHA).

“Because we have a good lot acquisition program, it is continuous and there is a funding source, it is easier for us to implement housing projects because we already have a lot ready for development,” he said on Monday, April 27.

Since 2024, one housing project has been completed, while six others have been launched or are currently under construction, Millare said.

The completed project is the KaUswagan Residences, a PHP 248-million socialized housing development in Barangay San Isidro, Jaro district, which was turned over by SM Development Corporation (SMDC) to the city government in October 2024.

The project consists of 120 residential units, each measuring 30 square meters, intended for low-salaried city government employees.

Millare said the units have already been occupied, with only a few remaining available.

He clarified that the earlier completion of the SMDC housing project compared to the Uswag 4PH Condominium Complex and the Uswag Residential Building Complex was not due to differences in intended beneficiaries, but largely because of the developer’s faster construction timeline.

The Uswag 4PH Condominium Complex is a PHP 2.54-billion affordable housing project in Barangay San Isidro, Jaro district, which broke ground in May 2025. It is being developed by Eon Realty and Development Corporation in partnership with the city government.

Implemented under the national Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) program, the project will consist of 13 ten-storey buildings with 1,677 residential units.

It primarily targets low-income families, informal settler families, and selected city employees, with units designed in an apartment-style configuration.

The development is the first housing project in the country implemented under a public-private partnership scheme under the 4PH program.

Meanwhile, the Uswag Residential Building Complex in Barangay San Isidro, Jaro district, which broke ground in February 2022, will feature 240 units on a three-hectare property.

Each unit measures about 24 square meters and is intended to benefit informal settler families displaced by infrastructure projects within the city.

Millare said the project has yet to be turned over due to the need for further improvements, stressing the city’s emphasis on quality housing standards.

“That is why we are questing for improvement. We are working it out. It will be turned over soon, it is just that there are remaining rectification works by the contractor of NHA,” he said.

Millare also highlighted the Rise Batiano Village, a socialized housing project designed to provide safe, permanent, and climate-resilient homes for informal settlers living in high-risk, flood-prone, and fire-prone areas.

The project is located in Barangay West Habog-Habog, Molo district.

He said the Iloilo Batiano River Development Council is working to replicate the success of the Iloilo River Esplanade in the Batiano River, emphasizing the need to integrate relocation planning with infrastructure development.

Millare also cited Westville Residences, a socialized housing project in Barangay Hibao-an, Mandurriao district, which provides 86 housing units developed in partnership with Henber Realty Development Corporation.

The project also aims to provide safe housing for informal settlers and families living in high-risk areas.

Millare said Westville Residences is being implemented under the city’s socialized housing balance compliance scheme, with the developer handling construction while the city government assists in design and access road improvements.

He also pointed to the Iloilo Residences Rental Housing Project, the city’s first public rental housing initiative, which was formally launched in February 2026.

Implemented in partnership with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, the project is located in Barangay Sambag, Jaro district, and will provide 362 rental units.

The program is designed for low-income families, starter households, disaster-affected residents, and families displaced by demolitions.

“We have so many projects in the pipeline that we want to implement because we want to respond to our needs — not necessarily a housing backlog, but because housing is part of urban development,” Millare said. (Photo Courtesy of Paulo Alcazaren)