THE Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD) is ready to cooperate with housing developers to provide solutions for the housing backlogs in the country.

"I am asking for your help on what we could talk about and partner with you in order to help the administration. We are ready to face and cooperate, [and] we are open for your suggestions and opinions," DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar said at the 4th Affordable Housing Summit of the Organization of Socialized and Economic Housing Developers of the Philippines Inc. (OSHDP) on Friday.

Acuzar said that if the government and the private developers will not cooperate, the problem in housing will never be solved.

"If they (housing developers) build [housing], we will buy what they have built. Our ideal was to complete the program for the poor within the Marcos administration," he said.

The department's Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program is aligned with the socioeconomic agenda of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s administration and his vision for organized and well-planned settlements in the country.

In the summit's fireside session, some of the stakeholders gave their take on rental housing to make it more affordable for the beneficiaries.

"One of the challenges for the 4PH program is about [the] affordability. There were members of the informal settler families that wouldn't be covered because they are in our lower threshold," said Leo Ocampo, legal department manager of the Social Housing Finance Corp.

Ocampo said, however, they have a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Human Settlements to make sure that the lower-income families should have a different program.

The OSHDP proposed that instead of the 15 percent escrow of the whole project, this should be used to build a house or a unit, and that cost will not be recovered or it will be awarded to the local government unit, and the cost of that unit would be multiplied by five and counted as compliance.

OSHDP Director Billy de Leon told The Manila Times that "if you're building a P100-million project, you have to escrow or put up 15 percent, or 15 million for you to recover."

"So our proposal is, the escrow fund used in the project will not be recovered, but they will make it 500 million (five times of the total project cost)," de Leon said.

DHSUD Undersecretary Garry Guzman replied that the "4PH is an ever developing program," and they want the program to be "more attuned to the needs of all the stakeholders. Not just our beneficiaries but also our partner developers."

Guzman reassures the stakeholders that they welcome more participation from our partners from the OSHDP and other housing groups.

"And, if one of the considerations to increase your drive or your incentive to join the 4PH is to consider compliance or 4PH as a compliance for the Balance Housing Act, it is more than welcome within our ranks," he said.

Last Thursday, the OSHDP said that it is trying to solve the rising costs of housing units by pushing for social and safety reforms in the industry.

OSHDP Vice Chairman of the Board Ryan Tan said that "housing units produced by the developers for first-time buyers tend to go smaller and smaller."

"Part of the advocacy of the OSHDP is we're pushing for certain reforms, even social, safety nets for those who cannot afford, like capital subsidies and housing vouchers," Tan said.