Thirteen 10-story buildings will soon rise in Barangay San Isidro at an Iloilo City-owned property in Jaro district that will be built under the government’s Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program (4PH).

The Uswag Condominium Complex, a public-private partnership project using the joint venture agreement mode with the Eon Realty and Development Corporation, held its groundbreaking ceremony on Friday.

The project is expected to be completed in 2030.

“Ilonggo families will finally have their own home. The Uswag 4PH stands as a promise, a promise that progress is not just for a few but for all,” said Mayor Jerry Treñas in his message.

The 13 buildings will have 1,677 condominium units equipped with amenities like community facilities, commercial spaces, landscape parks and playground, a guardhouse, a material recovery facility, a centralized sewage treatment plant, solar street lights, a basketball court, and a swimming pool.

Each building will have 129 units, with sizes of 24 and 27 square meters.

“The 4PH project is a living testament to my belief that urban and housing development must begin and end with our people. That is why this project is one that is closest to my heart. It embodies our vision of a more progressive and inclusive Iloilo City, a city where every Ilonggo has an equal opportunity to thrive and to succeed,” Treñas said.

Pag-IBIG Assistant Department Manager Philip Simon Basquez assured that the units are affordable.

The one-bedroom unit costs PHP1.53 million and PHP1.71 million for a two-bedroom unit, embodying the essence of the program to provide quality homes at prices affordable within the reach of every Filipino family.

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Western Visayas Regional Director Eva Maria Marfil said Iloilo City was the first to express its intention to be part of the program but was waylaid due to some challenges.

“We may not be the first to implement in the country, but I want to tell everyone that Iloilo City is the first (in the country) to get the PPP approval,” Marfil said.

Local Housing Office head lawyer Peter Jason Millare said the program is open to low-income families in Iloilo City with no registered real property and who are members of the Pag-IBIG fund.

Currently, there are at least 3,000 applicants.

Also joining the ceremony on Monday were DHSUD Undersecretary Eduardo Robles Jr. and Assistant Secretary Marie Loise Ticman-Canson, Eon Group of Companies chairman of the board Felicito Tiu, president and chief executive officer Franjieh Eon Angel Tiu, and other city and barangay officials. (PNA)