367 Iloilo families get P50-M housing aid

A total 367 families from Iloilo City received about P50 million in housing assistance from the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) on 4 February. 

DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling, SHFC president and CEO Federico Laxa and Iloilo Rep. Julienne Baronda awarded the amount to be used for the land acquisition of Mirasol Village Homeowners’ Association Inc., along with a grant amounting to P2.6 million. They also distributed to the beneficiaries their respective Certificate of Lot Award (CELA) which confirms their right to the property where their homes are erected.

The village is located in Barangay Dungon C in Mandurriao District. It is one of the initial 36 projects approved by SHFC under the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program or ECMP. 

The check and CELA were welcome reliefs for the community.

“When there was still no ECMP, we wake up every morning without an assurance — that we can be evicted by the landowner anytime,” April Rose Segumalian, the association’s president, said. “Now, we have hope that we can call this land as ours.”

CCC launches bamboo campaign

The Climate Change Commission (CCC) recently launched the campaign “Kawayan: Kabalikat ng Klima at Komunidad” to advance progressive bamboo development.

Featuring a series of informational materials released through CCC’s Facebook and Instagram platforms, the campaign aims to raise public awareness on bamboo’s role in climate action and promote inclusive and sustainable development that places communities at the center of resilience building.

“With wider and well-planned bamboo development, we can strengthen climate resilience, reinforce adaptation measures, and protect communities, especially those most exposed to climate risks,” CCC vice chairperson and executive director Robert E.A. Borje said.

“Engineered bamboo alone has the capacity to generate up to P400 billion in annual revenue. This figure does not yet account for the many small-scale enterprises that depend on bamboo for crafts, housing materials, and local products. Through bamboo cultivation, we create jobs, support local industries, and advance climate action at the same time,” he added.