Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) chair Jejomar C. Binay will lead the launching of the “Pabahay Caravan:  Strengthening Local Government Units (LGUs) in Housing Delivery and Local Development Planning” in Cebu City.

                  The event, which will be held on February 16-17, 2011 at the Radisson Blue Hotel, is the first of a series of activities in line with the thrust of the Vice President to build stronger partnership with LGUs.

                  It will be attended by Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia, Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, and local executives of Region 7, including four governors, 16 congressmen, and 132 city and municipal mayors, as well as their respective technical staff involved in housing concerns.

                  “Being closer to the people, the LGUs should be at the forefront in delivering housing services,” Binay said.

                  The HUDCC czar noted that under Republic Act 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992, LGUs are mandated to deliver quality homes to their constituents.

                  “Our role in HUDCC is to enable them to provide these services by orienting them on our housing programs and training them to facilitate the implementation of such projects in their areas,” he added.

                  During the caravan, representatives from the National Housing Authority (NHA), the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) and the Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG) will present their agency’s respective housing programs and services.

                  Among the topics the representatives will discuss include resettlement assistance, local community mortgage and housing loans.

                  Meanwhile, the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) will talk about how comprehensive land use planning can help LGUs ensure rational, ecologically balanced and sustainable development of resources and growth of human settlements.

                  “By making the LGUs aware of our housing programs and services, we will be able to encourage them to work together with the national government in accelerating shelter production and enhancing the delivery of housing services to the people,” Binay said.

                  While in Cebu, the Vice President will hold a dialogue with representatives of various homeowners associations of Region 7 to address their housing concerns. The homeowners, on the other hand, will undergo a consultation workshop on the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Magna Carta for Homeowners Associations.

                  Binay will also meet with officers and members of the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations (CREBA) to confer on Housing Receivables Program of the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation.

                  He is also expected to talk with LGU leaders on how they could contribute in delivering services to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW).

                  Binay was designated Presidential Adviser for OFW Concerns by President Benigno Aquino III.

                  The Pabahay Caravan in Cebu marks the start of the shelter agencies’ activities of bringing concrete programs and projects to the local level.  After this launching, it is expected that specific housing projects will be implemented through stronger national-local government partnership.