Bigger budget sought for housing projects

Moves to relocate families living in areas considered as danger zones for typhoons may be affected next year following the slice in the proposed budget of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC). During Monday's Senate budget hearing, HUDCC secretary general Nestor Borromeo said of the P11 billion they are asking for 2011, the government only gave them P5.9 billion. “You can only do so much given the allocation or money that is being given for housing," Borromeo said, noting that their accomplishment “is also budget driven." International humanitarian organization Oxfam said despite the onslaught of typhoon Ondoy last year that killed more than 400 people, over 150,000 households in the most hazardous locations remain to be there. [Do you live in a flood-prone area? What are the nearest evacuation centers to your house? Find out using our interactive flood map of Metro Manila.] The HUDCC is the umbrella organization of four government housing agencies: the National Housing Authority (NHA), Home Guaranty Corporation (HGC), National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC), and Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB). Help the poor Borromeo said with P5.9 billion budget, the housing agencies will only be able to produce 1/8 of the 350,000 housing projects — mostly benefiting the poor — required for 2011. “[They are those] under the poverty threshold... these are the people that should be helped by the government," Borromeo said. Borromeo appealed to the Aquino administration to allocate more budget for the government’s housing projects for 2011. “Lakihan ninyo yung budget (Increase the budget). If you give us this much money, our accomplishment is also budget-driven." He said the government should put housing as a priority given the “magnitude" of the problem. Senator Edgardo Angara, who headed the Senate budget hearing, admitted that the government is giving more money to education and social services compared to housing. “[Housing is] a poor cousin of other social services," he said. In a separate interview, he said Congress may re-align the P6-billion increase in the budgets of the Department of Social Welfare and Development and the Department of Interior and Local Government to the housing agencies. Globe Asiatique report out next week Meanwhile, Vice President and HUDCC chairman Jejomar Binay, who was also present during the hearing, told reporters in an interview that they will probably come out with the results of their investigation on the controversy involving real estate developer Globe Asiatique Realty Holdings Corporation next week. Emma Linda Faria, officer-in-charge of the Pag-IBIG Fund, said Globe Asiatique was able to take out at least P6.6 billion in housing loan proceeds for buyers of its housing projects in Pampanga. The units, however, were not yet completed, or were below standard, unoccupied, or closed. Some of the buyers were also allegedly fake Pag-IBIG members or ineligible for membership while others used spurious loan accounts. Senator Sergio Osmeña III had earlier alleged that there was probably connivance between Pag-IBIG employees and Globe Asiatique for the scam to have been successful. Binay said they will file the appropriate charges against those concerned next week. He, however, refused to reveal anymore details about the findings of their investigation. "Mahirap naman yung magdadaldal tayo. Hintayin na lang natin (It’s improper to talk about it. Let’s just wait for it)," Binay said. Binay said disclosing anything might endanger their witnesses. “That's one reason why we don't want to make any premature statements," he said. Faria said during the latter part of 2009, there were supposedly “interventions" that threatened the safety of their employees should they stop the processing of the loans. - GMANews.TV