[ Manila Bulletin Online ] July 17, 2008
The National Housing Authority (NHA), which is under the supervision of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) headed by Vice President Noli "Kabayan" de Castro, said it expects to increase to 67,473 the number of housing units that the agency will construct nationwide this year.
The 2008 target aims to improve production by 75 percent as the agency posted an average of 40,000 units produced for the years 2005, 2006, and 2007, according to NHA General Manager Federico A. Laxa. The 10-year average prior to 2005 was only 25,000 units.
Laxa said the impetus in the production surge came from the swift implementation of the Northrail Phase 1 segments involving 20,000 families relocated in less than a year, a record in NHA’s over 30 years of existence.
"The beneficiaries themselves now participate in the selection of resettlement sites with the implementation of the Local Inter- Agency Committee (LIAC). Unlike before where resettlement sites were inauspicious for development, today’s sites are close to the original colonies whenever possible," Laxa said.
Volunteer rates are also up with almost no complaints, enabling the staff to focus on relocation instead of fending off attacks, Laxa added.
"Another plus is Vice President De Castro is in the thick of things, deciding, resolving issues that are over my head. So it’s faster," the NHA chief said. "The VP’s presence, also to a large extent, encouraged private developers to participate. Developers front-end funds to complete projects that work well because we couldn’t tell for sure when funds would be released."
Priority NHA projects for 2008 include the completion of resettlement sites for the Metro Manila segment of the Northrail- Southrail Linkage project covering 17,489 units for affected families in Caloocan, Manila, Taguig, Parañaque, and Muntinlupa; relocation for the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Phase 2 project covering 3,041 families; and assistance to 31,002 families in various regions damaged by typhoons "Reming," "Seniang," and "Paeng" under the Calamity Assistance and Rehabilitation Effort (CARE).
On corporate governance, the NHA implemented measures on revenue generation, fund mobilization, and organizational enhancement which led to corporate profitability.
