President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s impending executive order on idle lands to be used by the government for housing is seen as a huge lift for the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program, according to the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.

The agency stressed that one of the key features of the EO once signed by the President is that it will reserve government idle lands for housing — a key element toward the program's success.

As reported by Malacañang, Marcos is set to sign an EO that will mandate various government agencies — particularly the DHSUD, Department of Agriculture, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and Department of the Interior and Local Government — to conduct inventory and identify state-owned idle lands, approximated at 16,000 hectares that are suitable for socialized housing and rural development projects.

"On behalf of DHSUD, I am delighted with President Marcos' imminent signing of an executive order that will bring Filipinos closer to their dream of becoming homeowners, " Acuzar said on Sunday.
"Such an order will surely boost our efforts to build houses and establish safe and resilient communities across the country," he added.

The EO will effectively reinforce Section 24 of Republic Act 11201 which states that lands left idle for more than 10 years and are not held by government-owned and -controlled corporations will be prioritized for housing and urban development purposes.

RA 11201 is the law which created the DHSUD in 2019.

"This EO will surely catapult the President's Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program to success as land is an important component of this program. In turn, it will be instrumental in uplifting the Filipino family's morale and quality of life," Acuzar said.

He added that the DHSUD has identified housing sites in strategic locations around the country which are deemed viable for human settlements which include government properties that have the potential for land development and housing construction.

To recall, DHSUD spokesperson and Assistant Secretary Avelino Tolentino III said the use of government lands will be beneficial to the housing program as it may result in lessening the cost of the housing units.

"We have an existing land inventory that we gathered in partnership with local government units. We also have continuing efforts to identify lands owned by national government agencies," Tolentino said.

Acuzar earlier said the program will prioritize in-city housing sites to ensure the availability of livelihoods for the dwellers.

He added that DHSUD is pushing to keep informal settler families already living and working in cities to remain near their livelihood as he found that previous public housing projects had been unsuccessful as families refuse to relocate away from cities.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Press Secretary reported that Marcos is set to meet with financial institutions that could provide funding assistance to the DHSUD.
Acuzar has also previously tapped financial institutions and other stakeholders in the private sector to fast-track land development.