NHA preps for Pasig River urban dev't project

National Housing Authority General Manager Joeben Tai on Sunday said they are now working and contributing efforts with the “Inter-Agency Council for the Pasig River Urban Development” (IAC-PRUD) in fulfillment of the created and signed Executive Order No. 35 by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

Recently, Marcos Jr. and First Lady Louise Araneta- Marcos led the inauguration of the showcase area of the Pasig Bigyan Buhay Muli (PBBM) program at the MacArthur Bridge and Jones Bridge in Manila. DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, and NHA General Manager Tai, and other member agency heads graced and witnessed this important occasion of the Marcos administration.

In his message,Marcos Jr. shared that the Pasig Bigyan Buhay Muli is a project under the guidance of the First Lady, wherein she envisions the revival of the Pasig River to become “a living river” of multiple benefits, which include safe walkways and bikeways along its banks, greener corridor and a string of parks for communities nearby with commercial establishments to sprout along its 25-kilometer stretch.

While the creation of the inter-agency council is focused on the grand rehabilitation of the Pasig River, its implementation will also include processing and documentation of the safe relocation for thousands of informal settler families (ISFs) living along its riverbanks, a function NHA specializes in.

Tai said that the NHA has a target of almost 10,000 housing units for construction for the Pasig River informal settler families. Also, the agency has been delegated to be the secretariat of IAC-PRUD.

Aside from that, the PBBM master plan also includes the prioritization of ISFs living along its riverbanks to be accommodated under the administration’s flagship housing program, the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH).

Under the guidance of DHSUD, the NHA is set to work closely with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA); Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG); Department of Tourism (DoT); Department of Transportation (DOTr); Department of Finance (DOF); Department of Budget and Management (DBM); National Historical Commission of the Philippines (NHCP); National Commission for the Culture and the Arts (NCCA); Philippine Ports Authority (PPA); Philippine Coast Guard (PCG); Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA); and Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) for the project implementation.