President Rodrigo Duterte will end his term with the best housing production and financing average of 195,687 per year which is the highest since 1975, according to data from the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

DHSUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said Monday “significant progress” has been achieved in the government’s goal of providing decent, resilient, affordable, livable, and more socialized homes for Filipino families.

He is satisfied with their “solid performance” and help from key shelter agencies (KSA) despite various challenges such as calamities and the health crisis.

“Our performance can speak for itself. The record-breaking achievements of our KSAs bring forth outstanding service excellence as we continue to perform to better serve the Filipino people,” Del Rosario said in his speech during the agency’s third founding anniversary at the auditorium of the Quezon City central office.

DHSUD absorbed the duties and functions of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board in 2019 under Republic Act 11201.

DHSUD shall support the needs of underprivileged and homeless Filipinos so they could have access to safe and affordable housing, the law states.

Del Rosario said the housing sector stood still amid the adverse impacts of the pandemic in the public service and economy.

“We did not only increase the number of houses that we built. We actually established high standards in developing housing communities that are sustainable and resilient,” Del Rosario said. “We help secure the future of our home dwellers, especially the underprivileged, with the high quality of our housing units thereby upholding their dignity and pride.”

He is optimistic that the DHSUD and its KSAs will achieve more than 100 percent of their targets this year, under the Philippine Development Plan set by the National Economic Development Authority.

Del Rosario vowed that the department and its KSAs, along with partner private developers, will “remain united in fulfilling their common goal of advocating the housing principles and continue serving as a beacon of hope in establishing sustainable, resilient and affordable housing communities for every Filipino family who wishes to have a house of their own”. (PNA)