Fellow public servants, friends and guests, good afternoon.
            One thing that gets me excited whenever I am in this part of the country is the availability of innumerable varieties of fresh seafood, particularly tuna, and of course, the fresh fruits. I must admit it is such a delight whenever my meal includes such homegrown fresh choices.
            But coming here gave me one more reason to be animated, and that is the vision of responding to the housing needs of Regions 11 and 12, especially their less privileged.
            For that is the reason we are on this segment of our milestone region-hopping—the Pabahay Caravan—to build stronger ties between us and make each other more capable in addressing the challenges in the housing sector.
            So, before I forget, let me thank you all sincerely for being here and being involved in our Pabahay Caravan. Your presence signals the forging and strengthening of our partnerships, and in the case of the shelter program, the rationalization and integration of our operations from the national to the local.
            One of the prime movers in the housing sector who have been vigorously bringing us closer to the people, especially to the people of Davao, is your very own. And that is my Deputy Secretary General in HUDCC, Asec. Wendel Avisado. 
            I know that in many instances, among our multi-stakeholder groups here in Davao, Asec Avisado has delivered our message that even as HUDCC synchronizes the functioning of the key shelter agencies, we are counting on the LGUs to help us attain our goal of providing homes to more people.
            In the past months, the Pabahay Caravan has reached Regions IV-A, VII and the Cordillera Administrative Region as part of our efforts to localize the delivery of housing services with the LGUs at the forefront.
            Here in Region 11, we are aware of the 5.4 percent growth in gross regional domestic product in 2009. Region 12, on the other hand, was among the regions with best employment based on the January 2011 labor force survey.
            This information shows the dynamism of your regions.  And with this, you could expect more development.  This could also mean that the demand for housing may soon increase as more people in this part of Mindanao have better capabilities to provide shelter for their families.
            Our Pabahay program, therefore, comes at a very opportune time. On the basis of your local housing needs, resources, capabilities, and conditions, we in the Key Shelter Agencies (KSAs) will empower you to carry out housing programs in your respective towns and cities.
            Our commitment is that we will be there with the LGUs—from project conceptualization to project implementation. We will also encourage the private sector to be on board in the implementation of housing and urban development projects and to partner with the national and local governments in housing delivery.
            And how will we do this?
            First, we will help you formulate or update your comprehensive land use plans.  We all know that land, a finite resource, is subject to competing uses. These are agricultural production and food security, industrial and commercial development and job creation, and settlements development and affordable housing. We will guide you in planning the best use of your land using technologies and taking into consideration latest principles and techniques on disaster risk management and climate change adaptation.
            Second, we shall assist you in coming up with a local shelter plan to address the housing requirement for both the formal and informal settlers.  At this point, let me emphasize the importance of a local housing body that will take the lead in generating and analyzing shelter development issues as well as take stock of available resources for housing.  Through this local housing body, we can closely coordinate in designing and implementing a shelter development program for the locality.
            Since the resources of government are limited, we have challenged the private housing developers to partner with LGUs in developing idle and underutilized government (proclaimed) lands as the venue for compliance of the 20 percent balanced housing requirements.
            Third, we shall provide technical or financial assistance for site development and housing.

            Many local governments, especially here in Regions 11 and 12, still have large tracts of land that could be considered for putting up sustainable communities.  And this is something that we in Metro Manila envy. You are not yet faced with lack of land for housing, especially for the poor. And we hope that you will take advantage of this situation as well as our offer of funds and technical support in planning and constructing housing projects for your people.

            In fact, the government already has existing housing programs here in your regions.
            The National Housing Authority has eight on-going projects in Region 11, and 12 projects in Region 12 involving resettlement, slum upgrading and local housing, among others.
            One of these is the recently approved land acquisition project for Mt. Terrace Homeowners’ Association in Davao City covering 1.2 hectares. Using the congressional fund of Congressman Karlo Alexei Nograles, and administered by NHA under the local housing program, 86 members of the said association would now be secured on the land they occupy.

            In addition, we have allocated resources this year for three housing projects in Region 11 and two in Region 12.  These projects would benefit the families living along the Davao Gulf, along Pujada and along the coastline of Sarangani Bay. Families affected by government infrastructure projects are also included as beneficiaries of these projects.
            But we need your support and cooperation to see these projects through. 

            We need you to prepare the necessary documentation so that we can immediately start the projects.
            On the other hand, the Community Mortgage Program or CMP of the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) has 26 projects in the pipeline for region 11, upon whose approval, would translate into a loan amount of more than 187 million pesos for about 4,000 beneficiaries.  Region 12, on the other hand, has 8 projects in the pipeline for a 56-million-peso loan amount.
            The CMP also now has a version more suited for the LGUs as it gives them extra autonomy in the implementation of the program. This is called the Localized Community Mortgage Program or LCMP. Under this scheme, the LGUs’ limited housing budgets are supplemented by funds from the SHFC equivalent to 75 percent of the project cost.

            As of date, there are four LGUs in regions 11 and 12 that are accredited in the LCMP, namely: Davao City, Mati City, Island Garden City of Samal and Kidapawan City.  And I am pleased to announce that the Island Garden City of Samal is the first ever recipient of the loan released under LCMP. This LCMP project would benefit the 105 member-beneficiaries of sunrise homeowners association in Barangay Pichon, Babak District. As mentioned during the awarding earlier, the total loan granted for this project is P2,952,000.
            There is also the Pag-IBIG Fund LGU Pabahay Loan Program.  Alam niyo po, minsan nakakarinig kami ng mga kuro-kuro na mabuti pa ang informal settlers, nabibigyan ng pabahay ng gobyerno.  Ang mga kawani ng pamahalaan, wala man lang ganitong benepisyo.  Ngayon, gusto ko pong iparating sa inyo na hindi po natin pinababayaan ang ating mga government employees at pati na rin ang mga nasa pribadong sektor na mababa lang ang sweldo.  As earlier presented to you by Pag-IBIG President Berberabe, local governments will now be empowered to provide homes to your personnel and other low-income employees of the national government and the private sector.
            Pag-IBIG Fund has set aside fifty billion pesos this year for housing for their members.
            In addition, Pag-IBIG Fund has allocated four billion pesos as institutional loans to LGUs and developers to develop housing projects like residential subdivisions.
            As you have witnessed earlier, Pag-IBIG Fund granted institutional loans to four projects in Regions 11 and 12, with approved loan amount of P81,470,000. Of this amount, P50,700,000 has already been released.
            Another 121.4 million has been released for the 141 loan take-outs of Pag-IBIG member-borrowers originating from the abovementioned projects.
            Nakita naman po ninyo. Lahat na po ng mga sektor ay aming pinagtutuunan ng pansin.  Pati po ang mga indigenous peoples ay amin na ring isinasama sa programa ng pabahay. At alam namin na dito sa mindanao, maraming makikinabang sa programang ito.
            As we have always admitted, the delivery of housing, particularly to the underprivileged, is a formidable task. Therefore it requires the cooperation of all sectors, government and private alike, in attaining goals.
            As we pursue the development of our regions, you, our fellow public servants in the local governments, are called upon to respond accordingly—to face the housing needs of our people. And almost as simply, we in the national shelter agencies will empower you to deliver in this endeavor.
            That is what we mean by the main message of our Housing Caravan: partnership, working in concert, and realizing national housing goals locally.

            Thank you.​