PNoy leads distribution of housing units to police, military personnel

President Benigno Aquino III on Friday led the ceremonial distribution of housing units to qualified personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) in Bulacan and Laguna. The President turned over 50 housing units and 3,500 Certificates of Entitlement to Lot Allocation (CELA) to military and police personnel. Upon his arrival at the housing project site in Barangay Batia, Bulacan, Aquino was welcomed by Defense Secretary Voltaire Gazmin, National Housing Authority (NHA) general manager Chito Cruz and local government officials led by Bulacan governor Wilhelmino Alvarado and Bocaue mayor Eduardo Villanueva Jr. Cruz briefed the President on the progress of the AFP-PNP Bocaue Hills Housing Project covering some 30 hectares with 4,000 lot allocations for the project. In his speech in Barangay Looc, Calamba, Laguna, Aquino acknowledged the sacrifices of the men and women in uniform, saying it’s hard for them to have peace of mind while doing their duties if they worry about the shelter of their families. He added that this is the reason he had made a pledge earlier this year to give decent housing to police and military personnel. “Sa inyong mga benepisyaryo ng proyektong ito: Ngayon, mahahawakan na ninyo ang susi sa isang panibagong pinto ng pagkakataon: susi sa mas panatag na pagseserbisyo-publiko; susi sa mas maliwanag na kinabukasan para sa inyong mga pamilya," he added. Looc housing project To fund the mass housing project, the government is spending P4.2 billion sourced from the P23.8-billion income of government-owned and controlled corporations (GOCCs) through efficient management. Out of the 21,800 units intended for the qualified AFP and PNP personnel, 1,500 house and lot units are expected to be generated by the 9.5-hectare NHA administered project in Barangay Looc, Calamba City. The NHA has prioritized physical development works and provision of community facilities, such as a three-storey, 15- classroom school building, including a health center, multi-purpose covered court, wet market, tricycle terminal, police outpost and materials recovery facility to give livelihood opportunities. Amenities of the housing project include a basketball court, day care centers and livelihood training centers, among others. It also has an underground drainage system, concrete road network with sidewalks and concrete curb and gutter. Water supply may be sourced from a deep well or from the Bocaue Water District through an industrial water connection system. Individual power service connection will also be accessible from Meralco. Similar housing projects in the works Other AFP/PNP housing sites are also being built in Cavite and Rizal. Proposed sites have been identified in Visayas and Mindanao as part of phase 2 housing program for military and police personnel. The President said personnel form the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) will also be given opportunities to have their own homes. As of this posting, there were about 19,000 housing unit applications received by the AFP/PNP housing boards and the NHA expects that the demand for housing for the military and the police will exceed the 20,000 target which Aquino had announced earlier. — MRT, GMA News