AFP gets 300 hectares of land for housing project

At least 7,000 military officers and men stand to get housing benefits following the turnover of some 300 hectares of land from the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC). In a chance interview in Camp Aguinaldo, Armed Forces chief Gen. Delfin Bangit said the property - located near the Scout Ranger headquarters in Camp Tecson in San Miguel, Bulacan - will be a big boost on the military ongoing efforts to provide housing to all its 120,000 officer and men. Bangit said that while this is enough to solve the military’s burden on providing adequate housing for its men, “this will be a very big boost to our [housing program]." Bangit, along with HUDCC head Vice President Noli de Castro and Defense Secretary Norberto Gonzales, led the ground-breaking ceremony for the 300-hectare off-base housing project for the soldiers earlier Thursday. “It is my privilege to be with you today for the ground-breaking of a project that will bring realization to the wishes of those who have sacrificed for peace and security of the country – our soldiers," Bangit said during the ceremony. Bangit said the military establishment will developed the property using “whatever savings or whatever sources can the Armed Forces plan for the program." A few years ago, the AFP chief said a 50-hectare property, also near the Scout Ranger headquarters, benefited about 1,400 officers and men. The housing project was realized in coordination with the Gawad Kalinga foundation. - KBK, GMANews.TV