PRESS RELEASE                                                                                                         Refer to: Ms. Dale Zapata

25 June 2005                                                                                                                 8332148/8334507

 Amidst controversies facing the country today

KABAYAN: NOW IS OPPORTUNE TIME TO SPEAK AND ACT ON POVERTY

In the light of various controversial issues hounding the government, Vice President and concurrent Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Chairman Noli ‘Kabayan’ de Castro strongly urged everyone to take a stand, speak up and take action on the real problem that the country has been facing for a long time --- the problem on poverty.

Speaking at the gathering of Gawad Kalinga (GK) leaders and volunteers at the Ultra in Pasig City, Vice President De Castro reminded his audience that while there are a lot of loose political talk going around, we cannot afford to lose focus and be confused for it will only to derail the nation’s efforts to face the real problem of poverty, particularly those concerned with housing.

The Vice President believes that instead of wasting time and effort in divisive political intramurals, we should concentrate on embarking in fruitful undertakings and partnerships very much like what is happening between the government and the Gawad Kalinga, a non-governmental group involved in building houses for the underprivileged.

Vice President De Castro admitted that the government alone cannot address the shortage in housing and gladly reported that the government’s joint effort with the GK resulted to a development of some 500 GK housing communities for at least 50,000 families who were given the chance to start a better life.

The GK Luzon is also in the forefront of working with HUDCC and other key shelter agencies in the establishment of some 40,000 housing units for the victims of flooding in different places in Luzon brought about by powerful typhoons last year.

The Vice President also took the chance to spell out the four occasions of government cooperation with the GK through the HUDCC--- the combined effort on slum upgrade, the fast tracking of approval of GK housing projects, the identification of housing projects where the government can contribute and orderly, peaceful and humane transfer of informal settlers to relocation sites.

Certainly these joint efforts of government and the private sector are not without hitches, but with continued cooperation and coordination the Vice President is confident that housing problems as well as other poverty-related problems will be adequately addressed.

Ref no. VPMEDIA 05-077

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