Addressing pressing shelter backlogs through parallel social welfare initiatives, the City Government of Naga has turned over affordable housing units to local government employees and distributed multi-million-peso financial grants to informal settler communities.
Marking a milestone for local workforce welfare, 197 housing units were turned over to 110 municipal employees on Tuesday, August 18, at the BellaVita Subdivision Clubhouse in Barangay Pacol. This project aligns with the national government’s Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program that features financing facilitated by the Pag-IBIG Fund under the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).
This successful handover builds directly upon a strategic partnership formalized through a Memorandum of Understanding signed on June 18 among LGU Naga, developer BellaVita, Ayala Land, Inc.’s socialized housing arm, and the Pag-IBIG Fund.
Classifying the initiative strictly as an employee housing program rather than urban poor housing, beneficiaries pay commercial-threshold amortizations through PAG-IBIG financing, utilizing zero city funds. Each unit is priced at ₱350,000 under an “as-is, where-is” wholesale purchase arrangement where employees handle their own home improvements. With PAG-IBIG financing, the monthly amortization sits at just ₱1,475.61.
Reflecting on the overwhelming enthusiasm from employees during the initial rollout, Mayor Leni Robredo underscored the deep significance of providing decent and permanent shelter for working employees.
“Sobrang saya para sa atin, lalo na kapag nakakausap natin ‘yong first batch kasi excited talaga sila. Marami sa kanila ‘yong matagal nang umaasam na magkaroon ng sariling [bahay],” said Mayor Robredo during her message at the BellaVita Subdivision Clubhouse.
To ensure equitable distribution, the local government prioritized applicants earning under Salary Grades 1 to 14 who do not currently own property. Because of the accessible price point, employees with larger families were permitted to apply for two units.
“Yung 110 beneficiaries, first batch pa lang ito dahil ang available na units ay 576 units. Pinayagan namin na kung kaya ng sweldo, pwede silang mag-apply para sa dalawang unit,” Mayor Robredo added.
Parallel to the employee housing turnover, the city advanced community land ownership through the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP) in collaboration with the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC).
Following requests made to the housing agency, three out of seven newly submitted applications were approved and awarded on Jesse Robredo Day, August 18. These latest grants add to previous awards
issued on June 18, bringing total recent distributions to over ₱65 million and exceeding ₱90 million overall when combined with earlier allocations.
The financial grants secure housing stability for roughly 800 families across groups such as the Mabolo Village Homeowners Association, Inc. (Phases 1 and 2) and the Saint Joseph Homeowners Association, Inc., alongside prior allocations for SPUKOI in Sabang and Mabolo Homes Subdivision.
“Na-receive na po ngonian an tseke more than 65 million pesos. Kung kabali si dating 25 million pesos, more than 90 million pesos and that translates to 800 families na makakatulog na ring mahimbing pagkabanggi na mayong danger na papahalion sinda sa saindang iniistaran,” said Mayor Robredo while expressing gratitude to cooperating landowners and partners who aligned with government-subsidized pricing.| via Maida Boragay
Source: Naga City Government