Newest national government agency opens in Koronadal
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Region XII, the newest executive department of the Philippine government is now open in the City of Koronadal. Its sole responsibility is for the management of housing, human settlement, and urban development more particularly in the whole SOCCSKSARGEN region.
DHSUD XII Regional Director Jennifer Bretaña explained that human settlement means ensuring that housing facilities have access to basic social services and providing spaces for making a living.
She stated further that DHSUD is a policy-making body and was created on February 14, 2019, by virtue of the Republic Act (RA) 11201. Its primary function is to consolidate all efforts and initiatives of all housing agencies to establish one (1) direction towards achieving not only providing homes but also communities of every Filipinos.
The four (4) bureaus under DHSUD XII are the following:
1. National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC) with the mandate of increasing the availability of affordable housing loans to finance the Filipino home-buyers. It is also a task to monitor the performance and implementation of the Community Mortgage Program (CMP) by its wholly-owned subsidiary, the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC).
2. Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) was created through Executive Order (EO) No. 272, which directs to undertake social housing programs that will cater to the formal and informal sectors in the low-income bracket and shall take charge of developing.
3. National Housing Authority (NHA) is assigned to develop and implement a comprehensive and integrated housing development and resettlement program. Also, formulate and enforce general and specific policies for housing development and resettlement and prescribe guidelines and standards for the reservation, conservation, and utilization of public lands identified for housing and resettlement.
4. Philippine Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), more popularly known as the Pag-IBIG Fund, was established to provide a national savings program and affordable shelter financing for Filipino workers. Among other things, the Fund offers its members short-term loans and access to housing programs.
RD Bretaña said, all of the aforementioned agencies have their respective roles but it will have a single direction through DHSUD to address the gap of housing needs of Filipino citizens which has long been a problem of the government.
As the City of Koronadal being a regional seat, Mayor Eliordo Ogena allotted a 1,000sqm lot for the said department which is located behind the city hall for they are needing big space for their one-stop-shop program. The mayor said he wanted DHSUD to be built at the regional center yet there is no available lot.
The DHSUD XII formally opened in the City of Koronadal on February 19 as they celebrated their 2nd anniversary. The occasion was graced by Assistant Secretary for Bureaus Melissa Aradanas, Human Settlement Adjudication Commission Executive Commissioner Melzar Galicia, and Koronadal City Mayor Eliordo Ogena.
DHSUD now occupies the former Pag-ibig Office at JYSL Building, located at corner Arellano-Balmores Streets this city.