The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has given the go signal for the release of PHP12.259 billion housing assistance for informal settlers and calamity victims.

In a statement on Thursday, the DBM said Budget Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has approved the release of a Notice of Cash Allocation worth PHP12.259 billion to the National Housing Authority (NHA).

The DBM said the request for payments, chargeable to previous years’ released allotments, was supported with a documented list of Special Allotment Release Orders with their respective amounts, status of fund utilization, and finance accountability reports.

It said the documents submitted were “confirmed to be in order.”

Around PHP12.059 billion of the released funds will be used for the housing assistance of calamity victims, the DBM said.

The remaining PHP200 million will fund the construction of four units of five-story, low-rise residential buildings in Western Visayas for the resettlement of informal settler families.

Pangandaman said the release of the budget was in line with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s commitment to giving Filipinos a decent home.

“Housing remains a priority for President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. as he strongly believes in the necessity of providing decent homes for Filipinos, particularly those adversely affected by calamities,” she said.

The NHA is the sole national agency mandated to engage in housing production for low-income families.

Under the administrative supervision of the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD), the NHA functions as the government’s housing production and financing arm. (PNA)