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to: Ms. Dale Zapata
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UN-HABITAT cites RP
housing policy
23
September 2005
THE United Nations Human Settlements
Programme, (UN-HABITAT) recently hailed the
Philippine government’s policy
on housing and urban development, citing the merits of its housing
legislation and efforts to
secure the shelter tenure of informal settlers.
In the June 2005 issue of the UN-HABITAT
publication Habitat Debate,
the Philippines was one of 12
countries cited for global best practices in housing. Also included were Brazil, Canada,
France, Greece, Kosovo, Peru,
South Africa, Russia, Uganda, United Kingdom and the United States.
“The Urban Development and Housing Act of the Philippines shows how housing rights form
an essential component of any
urban development scheme and have been recognized as an essential component
of good urban governance,” the
article stated.
Furthermore, the Philippines’ implementation of UN-HABITAT’s Campaign for Secure Tenure,
spearheaded by the Housing and
Urban Development Coordinating
Council (HUDCC) under the Arroyo administration, was cited as “a good example of the
recognition of housing rights
as a focus in policy formulation.”
The Philippine government, in cooperation with the Homeless People’s Federation of the
Philippines (HPFP), the Urban
Poor Colloquium (UPC), other
Non-Government Organizations and People’s Organizations, key agencies and local
government units, launched the
Secure Tenure (ST) campaign on
October 2002.
Following the
launch of the ST campaign, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo began a massive
disposition of idle
government-owned land for socialized housing purposes through various proclamations.
The government also intensified the provision of shelter finance to the informal sector,
particularly through the
Community Mortgage Program (CMP), and strengthened its support for
multi-stakeholder housing
programs like Gawad Kalinga and Habitat for Humanity.
Vice President Noli De Castro, chairman of the HUDCC, hailed the inclusion of the Philippines
in the UN-HABITAT report as
“an affirmation of the
effectiveness of the government’s housing and urban development policies, particularly in the
last four years.”
“This
administration has put a high priority on housing since day one, especially for the
poorest Filipinos. Our task
now is to sustain the momentum in the housing sector to benefit an even
greater number of our
countrymen who still do not have shelter security,” he said.
©
Copyright
2005
Office of the Vice President (OVP)
Management Information Services
Division (MISD). All rights reserved.
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