Western Visayas needs 500K housing units — DHSUD

By Rjay Zuriaga Castor

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development in Western Visayas (DHSUD-6) reported that the region requires 495,268 housing units to address its current backlog and future housing needs.

DHSUD-6 Director Eva Marie Marfil stated on Tuesday that of the total housing needs, 346,810 units are needed to resolve the housing backlog for informal settlers since 2013.

Once this backlog is addressed, the region will require an additional 148,458 units by 2027.

Marfil explained that DHSUD-6 derived the data from the local shelter plans of each local government unit (LGU), covering a 10-year planning period.

“Our housing needs are not solely for informal settlers. We categorize them into two main areas: the backlog and future needs,” she said.

She further noted that the backlog includes doubled-up families, the homeless, the displaced, and those living in informal settlements on land they do not own.

“Our future needs cover the new households expected to form over the course of the plan,” she added.

DHSUD-6 estimates housing needs based on population growth within the 10-year shelter plan.

Negros Occidental has the highest housing demand with 164,799 units, followed by Iloilo province with 136,628 units, Antique with 52,178 units, and Bacolod City with 35,787 units.

Capiz requires 33,975 units, Aklan 33,975 units, Iloilo City 29,948 units, and Guimaras 6,633 units.

Marfil pointed out that the region’s housing needs account for 7.44% of the national housing backlog of 6.5 million units.

To address this, DHSUD-6 is actively promoting the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) program through stakeholder forums aimed at attracting LGUs and real estate developers to participate in building socialized housing projects.

“We are reaching out to developers and contractors because we need their collaboration to realize the 4PH program,” she said.

DHSUD-6 aims to construct 123,817 housing units annually from 2023 to 2026.

Currently, 30 housing projects are in the pipeline across the region, at various stages of development, including proposals, ongoing construction, and production.

Nine projects are planned for Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, eight for Iloilo and Capiz, four for Antique, and one for Aklan.

The Asenso Yuhum Residences-Arao in Bacolod City is the only project currently in production, with 800 confirmed beneficiaries.

The housing project, located in Barangay Vista Alegre, will feature 17 buildings, providing a total of 4,456 housing units, each measuring at least 24 square meters.