Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, July 19) — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has issued an executive order declaring the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) as a flagship program of his administration, mandating the identification of state-owned lands suitable for housing and human settlement.
Executive Order (EO) No. 34 requires all government agencies to conduct an inventory of the lands they own and administer, and to submit a complete list to the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD) within 60 days from the release of the directive.
“The inventory of lands shall include government-owned idle lands or lands that have not been used for the purposes for which they have been originally reserved or set aside for at least 10 years, and on which no improvements have been made by the owner as certified by the concerned LGU,” read the EO signed by Marcos on Monday and made public on Wednesday.
The DHSUD shall then recommend to the president, through the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the issuance of proclamations declaring public lands as alienable and disposable, and reserving these for housing and human settlement purposes.
The EO states that the DHSUD shall acquire ownership of these properties and immediately carry out their development for the government’s housing program.
According to the government, the country’s housing needs have accumulated to 6.8 million units as of 2022.
Marcos earlier said he is confident that his administration will meet its target to build six million units by the end of his term — or 1 million yearly — under the 4PH program.
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