Putting premium on affordability, sustainability and resilience of homes and communities: DHSUD marks National Shelter Month ‘24 | Daily Tribune

Putting premium on affordability, sustainability and resilience of homes and communities: DHSUD marks National Shelter Month ‘24

DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar in his celebratory message noted that this year’s NSM theme embodied the DHSUD’s “efforts to provide safe and decent yet affordable shelters to Filipino families, especially the poorest of the poor, in sustainable and progressive communities.”

DT·19 October 2024, 2:35 am

Putting premium on affordability, sustainability and resilience of homes and communities: DHSUD marks National Shelter Month ‘24 — DHSUD Undersecretary Garry De Guzman (third from left), head of the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program Project Management Office, leads recent inspections of ongoing 4PH projects in San Fernado City, Pampanga. He notices the significant progress of the development and construction at the Crystal Peak Estates, being implemented by the Social Housing Finance Corporation.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) launched this year’s National Shelter Month (NSM) by emphasizing President Ferdinand “Bongbong” R. Marcos Jr.’s initiative to advance the housing and urban renewal goals of his administration.

The NSM 2024 celebration featured an array of activities and programs that were designed to further enhance Filipinos’ understanding of the national government’s HSUD programs and projects such as the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, the Plan and Do (PLANADO) Program and the Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli (PBBM) project – all of which promote resiliency and sustainability.

With the theme “Matibay na Tahanan, Matatag na Komunidad Para sa Bagong Pilipinas,” the celebration reinforced the DHSUD’s commitment to provide affordable, decent and sustainable shelters, particularly benefiting informal settler families and low-income households.

DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar in his celebratory message noted that this year’s NSM theme embodied the DHSUD’s “efforts to provide safe and decent yet affordable shelters to Filipino families, especially the poorest of the poor, in sustainable and progressive communities.”

He stressed that the DHSUD strives to wisely and inclusively promote a brand of urban renewal that puts premium on addressing the pressing issues in the housing and urban development sector, while prioritizing sustainable development that values and balances economic and cultural development alongside environmental stewardship.

Hence, throughout October, the Housing agency’s central and regional offices, along with the key shelter agencies (KSAs), hosted a series of events that engaged stakeholders in the HSUD sector. These included caravans, forums and learning sessions aimed at educating both the DHSUD team and the public about the many aspects and benefits of the 4PH Program, PLANADO and the PBBM project.

President Marcos Jr., along with First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos, DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar and other cabinet members, inspects the ongoing progress of the Pasig Bigyang Buhay Muli Project in Manila, June 23. The Phase 1C introduces one-story structure with a roof deck along the Pasig River, featuring a three-meter wide walkway flanked by commercial spaces at the ground level and a combination of a walkway, bike lane and viewing area on the roof deck.

PLANADO Program

Meanwhile, mentoring and writing sessions with local government units were also conducted by the Department through its Environmental Land Use and Urban Planning and Development Bureau. The sessions were part of the agency’s commitment to enhancing land use planning and urban development through its PLANADO Program.

PLANADO is a strategic response to the goal of establishing “organized and well-planned settlements” as envisioned under the Bagong Pilipinas brand of governance. It focuses on two major outputs – to achieve zero backlog on Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs) and Provincial Development and Physical Framework Plans by 2028, and to promote urban development for the next generation.

Launched in February, the program is an initiative to streamline and digitalize land use and urban planning and development processes, with the aim of fostering the creation of smart, green, resilient and inclusive human settlements. It underscores the importance of coordinated planning among government entities, nongovernment organizations and other stakeholders to build sustainable and inclusive Filipino communities.

In August, the DHSUD signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the Philippine Space Agency, cementing their partnership on the utilization of space science and technology applications for the furtherance of the housing and urban development sector.

The MOA aimed to reinforce the effort of the Department’s Environmental, Land Use, and Urban Planning and Development Bureau (ELUPDB) on the digitalization of the land use and urban planning processes through PlanSmart – a digital, integrated and automated platform developed by the DHSUD and the Department of Science and Technology which formulates climate and disaster risk-informed land use plans, open spaces and resilient urban design.

The MOA could highly impact the DHSUD’s capabilities in generating updated digital imageries for Climate and Disaster Risk Assessment and CLUPs, according to the ELUPDB.

PBBM Project

The PBBM Project, which aims to bring back the glory of Pasig River, is yet another prominent enterprise of the DHSUD toward urban renewal and development.

President Marcos Jr.’s nudge to “transform Pasig River back into historically pristine condition conducive to transport, recreation and tourism,” the PBBM Project was launched in January this jyear.

Once completed, the project will allow pedestrians and bikers to travel through the entire 25-kilometer stretch of pathway, while enjoying the parks, tiendas, green landscape and wellness facilities that line up along the banks of the waterway.

The project currently features a showcase area, spanning almost 500 meters, which serves as a public park with a pedestrian-friendly walkway on a concrete platform and is equipped with water fountains accented by lighting and sitting areas for urbanites.

Likewise, the PBBM project now features commercial spaces that stretch to the Intramuros area which, according to Secretary Acuzar, would further boost tourism for the nation’s capital.

Aside from furthering its campaigns toward a greener and safer housing and urban development sector, the Department and its KSAs also took advantage of the celebration to appreciate their own personnel – the integral driving forces behind the big-scale milestones in the country’s HSUD sector.

The activities allowed them to showcase their wide range of talents and skills through the various recreational and talent programs that were organized. Such activities included the DHSUD and HSAC sports festival, battle of the bands, chorale competition and the much-anticipated search for the 2024 Shelter Advocates.

Meanwhile, the NSM w 2024 would end on a high note with the airing of “Kapihan sa DHSUD: Housing Matters” virtual talk show where DHSUD executives, along with the KSAs, as well as in-house experts will their knowledge and expertise on the ins and outs of the 4PH Program, the PLANADO Program and the PBBM project. All these activities were made possible by the stewardship of the NSM 2024 technical working group headed by Undersecretary Randy Escolango.

During the opening program, Undersecretary Avelino Tolentino III expressed the need to further strengthen collaboration between the DHSUD and its stakeholders, saying: “Big words and an even bigger task, I must say, and many challenges remain along our way...That is why, we call on everyone in the sector to start turning these challenges into opportunities, and align all our efforts toward this shared goal of providing matitibay na tahanan, matatag na komunidad para sa Bagong Pilipinas.”

Aptly, the National Shelter Month coincides with Urban October, a monthlong international initiative aimed at raising awareness and engaging the global community in discussions about the challenges and opportunities presented by rapid urbanization and ballooning housing need.