P1.6 B allotted for police, military housing — lawmaker

MANILA, Philippines - Some P1.6 billion has been allocated as additional fund for police and military housing for next year, Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez said yesterday.

The lawmaker said the amount constitutes the bulk of the proposed P2.235-billion 2018 budget for the National Housing Authority (NHA).

The P1.6 billion is on top of what remains of police and military housing funds managed by the NHA, Benitez said.

“We have to provide decent and affordable housing to our policemen and soldiers,” he added.

He noted that President Duterte has promised to build more comfortable dwelling for police and military personnel after he allowed housing units the NHA built for them in Bulacan to be occupied and owned by members of militant group Kadamay.

Benitez, who chairs the House committee on housing and urban development, urged the government to allot more funds to address the long-standing problem of homelessness in the country.

“We have long been grappling with homelessness and each year, the country’s housing needs, especially in urban areas, keep on swelling along with population growth and rapid urbanization,” he said.

Total housing requirements, according to him, will balloon to 6.8 million by 2022, including a backlog of two million units from previous years.

Benitez lamented that there are not enough funds for housing.

“Compared to its Asian neighbors, the country has the lowest public spending on housing. It is deeply disconcerting that housing is left neglected by the government when shelter is a basic human need and the most visible manifestation of human dignity,” he said.

He said the Duterte administration should include housing in its massive infrastructure program, dubbed “Build Build Build.”