The Ministry of Human Settlements and Development, the Housing Arm of the BARMM, coordinated with and oriented primary stakeholders on the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) Program and the housing loan programs of the Ministry, held at the Surya Hall, Alnor Hotel and Convention Center, Cotabato City on February 19, 2024.

Through key resource speaker Alymore C. Atienza, OIC Chief of Led Division from the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) of the Pag-IBIG (Pagtutulungan sa Kinabukasan, Ikaw, Bangko, Industriya at Gobyerno) Fund, stakeholders learned of the Pag-IBIG housing loan programs, and funding aspects of 4PH.

The 4PH Program pursues innovative strategies to maximize the use of land resources, particularly those vacant, idle, blighted and underutilized government and private-owned lands for housing and mixed-use development.

The flagship program, to be spearheaded by the MHSD in the BARMM, seeks to fill in the housing gap in the region, aiming to provide 20,000 affordable housing units annually for six years, for a total of 120,000 units.

She also gave a brief background on the Countryside Housing Initiative (CHI), which sought to provide housing projects in underserved areas where Filipino workers, belonging predominantly from minimum and low wage earners and who seek to acquire decent and affordable homes, may reside. 

“These units will prioritize the government employees capable of paying the housing loan amount as per their salary, to serve as examples for other working members of the region who are reasonably able to buy their own homes,” explained Abdulhamid C. Alawi Jr., Chief of Housing and Human Settlements Division (HHSD), on the first set of target beneficiaries for the BARMM 4PH Program.

“The next generation of Bangsamoro, our children, inspire us during the sleepless nights we spend grueling over paperwork and travel in servitude to our people. And for them we wish to build resilient homes that will protect their growth,” said Salem C. Demuna, Director II for Operations and Management Services, who highlighted the series of free resettlement housing projects awarded by the MHSD across the region.

Also responding to queries during the open forum with Chief Alawi and Chief Atienza was Broi M. Barba, Housing Relationship Officer of the Pag-IBIG Fund.

The activity was facilitated by the HHSD and PAG-IBIG Fund, who will be sending out another batch of surveys on housing preferences to BARMM Ministries, Offices and Agencies (MOAs).

“The data gathered will be very useful in evaluating the impact, at the same time addressing the housing demand and needs of the BARMM constituents,” said Yasser S. Mama, Chief of Monitoring and Evaluation Division.