Bacolod City – The administration of Mayor Alfredo Abelardo “Albee” Benitez is inching towards reality in its goal of providing decent homes to informal settlers in Bacolod City, following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on September 3, between the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), and the city government.
Benitez said that the city government is targeting to construct 10,000 housing units for informal settler families (ISFs) in partnership with the DHSUD.
Housing Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar and Benitez signed the MOU that will pave the establishment of the Yuhum Village in Bacolod City, starting next month. The signing was witnessed by Bacolod Rep. Greg Gasataya, Silay City Mayor Joedith Gallego, and other City officials.
“This a very historic moment in terms of our dream to have decent and affordable housing for every Bacolodnon,” Benitez declared.
The Yuhum village serves as one of many settlement projects of the DHSUD to realize its “Pambansang Pabahay Para Sa Pilipino: Zero Informal Settler Families (ISFs) program for 2028,” which targets to build one million housing units per year or a total of six million housing units in six years.
The Yuhum Village housing projects will be implemented in Barangay Vista Alegre and coastal villages such as Barangay Banago, as structures, up to five-storeys, made of concrete modular houses.
Acuzar said the beneficiaries need to be members of the Pag-IBIG Fund, whose funds will be initially used to pump-prime the housing program.
“This is part of the program that (will address) the six million housing backlog. We will provide financial assistance. We’re 100-percent committed to build the 10,000 housing units for Bacolod,” he added.
After the MOU signing, Acuzar and Benitez inspected a Yuhum Village basic concrete modular model house with a floor area of 24.5 square meters, mounted inside the Bacolod Government Center. (Gilbert Bayoran via tvds with report from PNA, photo by tvds)
