The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) commends the turnover of 1,380 housing units in the St. Gregory Homes Housing Project in Malabon City on 27 March 2023 as the most recent milestone in the Marcos administration’s flagship housing initiative to address the 6-million housing backlog in the country.
The Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) Project, implemented under the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino: Zero Informal Settler Family (ISF) 2028 Program, provides affordable and safe housing to qualified beneficiaries from ISFs, minimum wage earners, families relocated from high-risk and disaster-prone areas, and other members of poor communities.
CHR lauds that the execution of the 4PH project in Malabon has taken into consideration the residents’ access to basic necessities, livelihood and employment, government services, and recreational and communal facilities—all of which meet the standards of adequate housing similarly emphasised by CHR’s Advisory On the Right to Adequate Housing and Human Treatment of Informal Settlers[1].
This advisory asserts that housing is a basic human right, as outlined in Article 11 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights, and that ‘adequate’ housing should promote employment, welfare, community and culture, consistent with the spirit and provisions of the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992.
4PH, in line with these standards, proves that adequate housing goes beyond building four walls and a roof. Using a rights-based approach and engaging local government units in partnerships raises the bar for future social housing projects and relocation efforts.
CHR will continue to monitor this program’s progress, hoping to see improvements in the inclusion and participation of housing beneficiaries in decision-making and developments within their new homes and community.
In a time of economic inflation and climate change, the importance of secure and affordable housing for all cannot be overstated. The Commission welcomes and encourages all efforts to empower poor Filipino families in pursuit of the enjoyment of human rights and dignity in these challenging times. ###