The Office of the Presidential Assistant for Eastern Mindanao (Opamine) confirmed the initial stages of housing projects in Davao City.
Leo Tereso Magno, secretary of Opamine, unveiled plans during the Kapehan sa Davao on Monday morning, December 18, 2023, at SM City Davao.
Opamine and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) have identified potential areas — Sasa, Lasang, Talomo, and Langub — for the housing programs, with more areas proposed by DHSUD.
“We are preparing the final proposal design ganon po kasi ang proseso non. Tiningnan ng mga posibleng mga developer yung area at magbibigay ito, magbibigay sila ng proposal kay Mayor Sebastian Duterte (We're finalizing the proposal design, following the process where potential developers survey the areas and submit proposals to Mayor Sebastian Duterte),” Magno said.
The Local Government Unit (LGU) of Davao will review and present the chosen design to the public.
Following a week-long meeting between Opamine and DHSUD, they're finalizing proposals to align with the City Government of Davao. Magno hopes developers can submit proposals by year-end or January 2024 for a swift project commencement.
Highlighting the urgency, Magno pointed out Davao's 180,000 housing shortage, despite potential projects accommodating 7,000 to 10,000 individuals each—a fraction of the city's need.
“We are really hoping that within the first quarter of next year meron na tayong unit na masimulan may mag-umpisa nang magtayo at makita na natin (We aim to have units started within the first quarter of next year),” Magno said, acknowledging discussions about these housing projects last August 23, 2023, between him and Duterte under President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr.'s National Housing for the Pilipino Program (4PH). RGP