HLURB 7 exceeded targets: chief

HOUSING and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) 7 Director Alixes Roy Lopez said they did better than expected in 2012, if their targets are any indication.

Lopez told reporters they could not have done it without the support of local government units and private developers, who have been investing heavily in real estate.

HLURB 7 had a total collection of P26 million for the year, more than double their P9.5 million target. They were also able to assist 166 local government units in crafting their comprehensive land use plans (Clup). The agency was given a target of 145. For Lopez, their collection and assistance with the Clup are the main performance indicators. He said that out of all regional offices in the country, theirs landed the top spot.

Although 2011 was seen as a good year for real estate, Lopez said 2012 was even better. “The environment is conducive for investment because even developers from Manila are all here in Cebu,” he told reporters.

P5.17B for 14 projects

Total project cost for residential condominiums issued reached P5.17 billion for 14 projects. All condominium projects, which total 5,212 units, are for locations in Cebu—12 in Cebu City and two in Mandaue City. The total land area covered for these projects reached 7.5 hectares. The previous year, residential condominiums had a total project cost of P2.6 billion for 12 projects. The 749 units covered a land area of 4.3 hectares.

For open market residential subdivisions, total project cost for 22 projects reached P2.6 billion. The projects had a total land area of 43.9 hectares, with 1,866 house and lot units and 529 lot only packages. Of the 22 projects, 15 are in Cebu while the rest are scattered throughout the provinces of Negros Oriental, Leyte and Bohol.

In 2011, total project cost for open market subdivisions was at P957 million. However, the 20 projects covered 70 hectares, with 2,227 lots and 122 house and lot units.

For economic housing, there were fewer projects last year compared to 2011. The 10 economic housing projects in 2012 cost P1.4 billion and cover 22.5 hectares. Seven of these are in Cebu while there is one development each in Bohol, Negros Oriental and Leyte. The previous year, there were 15 economic housing projects registered. However, the project cost was lower at P453 million and covered a smaller area of 16.2 hectares.

Only three socialized housing projects were registered last year. These covered 9.1 hectares of land and cost P493 million. The projects were for 428 house and lot units and 100 lots. There were six such projects in 2011 covering 11.7 hectares and costing P237 million.

All the projects listed in the HLURB report have are those that have been issued with licenses to sell and certificates of registration.

Seven condominium projects in Cebu City have also been issued temporary licenses to sell, adding 1,762 units.

Lopez said that this year, they will be focused on making sure developers comply with the socialized housing requirement. He added that the implementing rules and regulations were changed last year, which now requires developers to construct new housing units in compliance with the socialized housing requirement and not developing existing communities.

Bringing down backlog

Lopez assured that the developers have agreed with the new rules, saying they were consulted before the HLURB board decided on revising it. He explained that this was aimed at bringing down the national housing backlog of 3.6 million.

Also this year, he intends to get 20 more municipalities under his jurisdiction to undergo Clup training.

With 2013 being an election year, Lopez admitted that Clup assistance may not be a priority for most local government units, which is why the first half of the year will be scheduled for consultations. He said any Clup implementations can be done after new officials have been proclaimed.

Lopez also expects to get a lower collection this year, saying investors might be wary about investing during political season. He hopes though that collections will catch up at the later part of the year.