The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development’s (DHSUD) key shelter agencies (KSAs) attained significant achievements during the first quarter of 2021 despite the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Last June 3, DHSUD Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario spearheaded the first National Human Settlements and Urban Development Coordinating Committee (NHSUDCC).
During the meeting, the KSAs—the Home Mutual Development Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund, the National Housing Authority (NHA), the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC) plus the Human Settlements Adjudication Commission (HSAC)—presented their respective accomplishments during the period.
KSA accomplishments
The Pag-IBIG Fund reported a 33 percent rise in home loan releases valued at P20.94 billion during the first three months of the year. It also recorded a P29.40-billion dividend payout for the fiscal year 2020, marking a 5.62 percent surge per annum.
As for the NHA, it reported a higher first quarter performance compared to the same period during the previous year on the back of the rollout of housing projects for typhoon Yolanda victims and shelter schemes for former rebels, garnering accomplishment rates of 302 percent and 68 percent, respectively.
The NHA also sprouted a 253 percent growth in housing completions that were mainly due to finalized projects intended for informal settlers affected by the Supreme Court Mandamus and those affected by government-led infrastructure projects. It also recorded a 94 percent growth rate for housing programs for government employees during the period.
Meanwhile, the NHMFC touted its significant achievements both in the first quarter of the year and during the previous years. These include issuing BALAI Bonds 1 and 2, securing ISO certification for the securitization of housing loan portfolios and borrower’s services, as well as posting P6.82-billion worth of housing receivables purchased.
The SHFC, on the other hand, reported that it had released loans amounting to P228.8 million through 13 projects under its Community Mortgage Program. The program benefitted 3,742 ISFs during the first quarter of the year. The SHFC also rolled out five other housing schemes that helped improve the lives of 8,282 ISF families across the country. It also highlighted a nearly 84 percent modified collection efficiency rate as of January 2021 and succeeded in raking in P248.19 million in payment collections as of the end of March 2021.
As for the HSAC, its Regional Adjudication Branches (RABs) were able to handle 1,816 cases during the first quarter of the year, with most of the cases lodged with the RAB-4A. One hundred nineteen of these cases were disposed of, 39 percent of which were from the National Capital Region. There are still 1,697 ongoing cases being handled by HSAC as of the end of March 2021.
Further collaborations
The NHSUDCC meeting was meant to promote further coordination and synergy among government KSAs, the DHSUD, and housing stakeholders.
During the forum, Secretary Del Rosario called on KSAs to further bolster collaboration with the private sector in attaining their common goal of providing decent and affordable housing communities for Filipino families, especially the underprivileged.
The NHSUDCC seeks to serve as a stepping stone for DHSUD to further enhance its connection with KSAs in upholding DHSUD’s housing and urban development policies and programs across the country.
Part of DHSUD’s key strategies this year is to strengthen engagements not only with the KSAs and housing stakeholders including partner developers, but also at the grassroots level through local government units.
