Leni: Redesign housing units for cops, soldiers

MANILA, Philippines - Housing units intended for personnel of the Philippine National Police (PNP) and Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) should be redesigned, Vice President Leni Robredo has said. 

Robredo, former chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, made the proposal in view of the takeover by militant urban poor groups of vacant units at government housing projects in Bulacan.

Robredo said some PNP and AFP personnel did not occupy the housing projects because the units are too small.

“When I was still a part of the Cabinet...my suggestion was to redesign the houses because some of them are...for PNP and AFP personnel,” Robredo said in a recent interview. “I proposed the merger of two or three housing units.” 

Robredo said units that would not be occupied by soldiers and policemen should be awarded to informal settlers.

“It doesn’t make sense that you have a housing backlog of 5.6 million, but you have unoccupied houses,” she said.

Robredo said many units remain vacant not only in housing projects in Bulacan, but also in Nueva Ecija, Pangasinan and Cavite.