President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. led the groundbreaking of the Legacy Housing Project of his administration in Batasan Hills, Quezon City. With him are (from left) House Speaker Martin Romualdez, Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte, and Secretary Jose Acuzar of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development. (Photo from the Facebook page of the Presidential Communications Office)
MANILA, Philippines — The goal of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. to build six million housing units is attainable in six years, House Speaker Ferdinand Martin G. Romualdez said on Tuesday.
“Our target: one million housing units every year. This is an ambitious target, but I am very confident we can achieve this through our unity in purpose and the cooperation of all stakeholders in the program,” Romualdez said during the groundbreaking of the Legacy Housing Project of the Marcos administration in Batasan Hills, Quezon City.
Local officials called the project “Bagong Bliss para sa Mamamayan ng Quezon City,” which is part of the president’s Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program.
It is reminiscent of the BLISS — the Bagong Lipunan Improvement of Sites and Services, a holistic housing program of the president’s mother, former Rep. Imelda Romualdez Marcos, when she was minister of human settlements.
“President Marcos is addressing the country’s woes on all fronts almost simultaneously: food security, foreign investments, jobs and livelihood, public order and safety, health and social protection, and now social services like housing,” Romualdez said. “[We] will do everything to support our president in all of his programs because we also believe that if we work as one, we can achieve even the greatest of ambitions. This is how we move forward. This is how we move mountains.”
He added that Marcos “has instructed all of us in government service to move heaven and earth to ensure that affordable housing units will be available to homeless Filipinos.”
“He said all Filipinos have the right to have their own house in a safe community,” Romualdez, speaking in Filipino, quoted the chief executive as saying.
He noted that Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development had mobilized government and private sector resources to support the administration’s housing program.
“Thanks to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., what used to be a dream for our marginalized countrymen will soon turn into a reality,” Romualdez said.
“At least, your dreams are within reach. You will have a house to call your own. You will no longer be afraid that you will be ejected from your community. Your family can now live in peace in a safe and secure environment,” he told potential housing program beneficiaries in the Batasan and Commonwealth areas in Quezon City.
“We know how important housing is to Filipinos. Not only will this project bring economic and social stability to Filipino families it will also help to create jobs and boost the economy,” Romualdez said.