To those who have less in life
The milestones in the first six months of his term are all about improving the plight of the poor through long-term programs.
Daily TribuneThe milestones in the first six months of his term are all about improving the plight of the poor through long-term programs.
It was during the pandemic that the housing backlog was highlighted as individuals have to be herded inside their homes to stop the transmission of the dreaded coronavirus disease 2019.
Keeping inside their abode was a difficult task to many who rent practically holes in walls packed with family members. There were instances that shanties became unbearable prisons during the 14-day mandatory lockdowns due to the heat.
Isolating a sick member of the family became impossible in a house where even sleeping is scheduled among the occupants because of the limited space.
President Ferdinand "Bongbong," Marcos Jr. said the goal of his administration is to fulfill his promise of giving each Filipino family a roof over their heads and a safe place for them to live and grow.
Providing shelter to Filipinos and ensuring low-cost basic commodities are the key promises of BBM that he seeks to fulfill during his six years in office.
BBM's goal is to build one million homes a year to give six million families a place of their own by the end of his term.
With an average of four members in a family, the program would mean 24 million Filipinos sheltered.
About 66 percent or two in every three Filipinos do not have a house of their own.
"We will continue to break ground in different parts around the country to achieve our goal of building 1 million homes a year," BBM said.
He acknowledged that fulfilling the goal of providing a solution to the housing problem would be a "big help" to Filipinos.
The strategy to hit the goal of building 6 million homes for Filipinos is fleshed out in the "Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program."
The new 4P demolished the detractors' claims that BBM is bereft of a concrete program for the poor.
The milestones in the first six months of his term are all about improving the plight of the poor through long-term programs.
He took the helm at the Department of Agriculture to personally oversee programs to ensure an affordable and ample supply of basic goods.
The Kadiwa rollout promises the attainment of the P20 per kilo rice which many scoffed at as an impossible bluster of BBM.
Despite the global trend of high inflation, the price of the cheapest rice variety has fallen to P25 per kilo which made Marcos more confident of hitting his target.
The housing build-up will be unprecedented and the pro-poor program will define the Marcos presidency, in the same way, that peace and order became the hallmark of the Duterte presidency.
A few of his predecessors aside from Former President Rodrigo Duterte gave the same value in their policies on giving Filipino families access to affordable shelter.
"Building 6 million houses is the target of President Marcos Jr., I am very confident we can achieve this through our unity in purpose and the cooperation of all stakeholders in the program," Speaker Martin Romualdez said.
The Marcos administration is setting up an environment where those who have less in life will have more attention from the government.
