A LAWMAKER said the Davao City Housing Office (DCHO) is targeted to be implemented this year, which will lay out the local government’s urban development and human settlement policies.
Councilor Alberto Ungab, committee on appointment and government reorganization chairman, said the office will comprise five divisions and “should be able to address the housing problems in the city, especially providing affordable for those without housing units.”
The councilor added the office would not only focus on the creation of human settlement projects in the city but also on the social and economic situation of the settlers.
“When you relocate people, it’s not just you relocate them and give them houses, you have to look at the economic probabilities, will they be able to sustain livelihood,” Ungab said on Tuesday, May 14 during the Aprubado sa Konseho.
The office will also lead in identifying beneficiaries from the city, prioritizing those who are homeless, residents from a low-income household, and hazardous areas.
It will spearhead the identification and registration of beneficiaries from all 182 barangays for the economic and socialized human settlement program under the auspices of the City Registration Committee.
To recall, the ordinance for the creation of the office was passed in the 20th city council in August 2023 and signed by the city mayor Sebastian Duterte in November of the same year.
The office is composed of divisions including Administrative and Support Services, Technical Planning and Development Management, Estate Management, Accounts Management, and Homeowners and Community Development.
“They should be able to function now since there are already existing personnel transferred from the housing division in the City Planning Office,” Ungab said. However, he added there is no Department Head yet.
The ordinance created the office as a stand-alone department. DCHO used to be under the housing division of the City Planning Office before the ordinance was approved.
