Pabahay Housing for soldiers, cops

source: mb.com.ph

MANILA, Philippines — The dream of the uniformed men and women to acquire their own houses and lots is seeing fruition under the Aquino government.

Since the “Pabahay” (housing) project was announced by President Benigno S. Aquino III, the initial housing units for personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) and Philippine National Police (PNP) have been constructed.

By mid-June, the first batch of soldiers and policemen may be able to transfer to their new houses in Bocaue Hills, Barangay Batia, in Bocaue, Bulacan.

Under “Pabahay,” the flagship project for AFP and PNP personnel, the government is building 21,800 house-and-lot packages for them up to November this year. Other housing sites in various stages of construction are in San Jose del Monte and Norzagaray in Bulacan, Baras and Rodriguez in Rizal, Calamba in Laguna, and Trece Martires City and General Trias in Cavite.

The 27-hectare Bocaue Hills project is providing an initial 4,000 low-cost housing units, to be built at a cost of R140,000 per unit. The houses will be completed by October 15, 2011, but beneficiaries my occupy some of the finished projects by June 14, 2011. Qualified members of the AFP and the PNP who avail of the project will amortize through an affordable special loan scheme for 30 years.

There will be provisions for viable, sustained communities. Three schoolbuildings will be built for elementary and high school students as well as a public market and transport terminals in the Bocaue Hills project.

Six out of 10 soldiers and policemen reportedly do not have their own homes. The government has allocated 7 billion from the President’s Social Fund for the project, evenly divided between the AFP and PNP. The project is in gratitude for their sacrifices and hard work to ensure public safety. It is seen to boost their morale.

The government has pledged to build more houses for Armed Forces of the Philippines and Philippine National Police personnel and other government workers as well as informal settlers, in the long term. There are two million government workers and informal settler families in need of shelter. The goal is to build over 350,000 low-cost units every year to resolve the hosuing backlog.

source: mb.com.ph