Marcos turns over 333 houses to Valenzuela beneficiaries

MANILA, Philippines — President Marcos yesterday led the turnover of 333 housing units to qualified families relocated from danger zones in Barangay Arkong Bato, Valenzuela City.

The turnover was part of the “Handog ng Pangulo” program, a nationwide celebration marking Marcos’ 69th birthday.

“Everybody knows that one of the problems we face today is the continuous rains that cause flooding. Whenever we experience such events, our home is the first place we look to for shelter. It is where our children should be safe,” Marcos told residents of Disiplina Village.

Marcos was joined at the ceremony by Valenzuela Mayor Wes Gatchalian, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling and National Housing Authority general manager Joeben Tai.

Certificates of award were distributed to qualified beneficiaries of the first three phases of the project, which consist of seven four-story residential buildings containing 333 units.

The project, which broke ground in March 2023, primarily serves families displaced by fires and informal settlers who previously lived in danger-prone areas, including those near waterways and beneath transmission lines.

The housing complex sits on a 20,709-square-meter property along M.H. Del Pilar street. The entire development is planned to eventually have 20 four-story buildings with 960 houses.

Disiplina Village is Valenzuela’s fourth in-city housing project, following similar developments in Barangays Bignay, Lingunan and Ugong.

The buildings’ façade was designed after the historic Arkong Bato, incorporating the city’s heritage into a housing development.

Marcos also awarded land titles to 110 families in Barangay 167, Caloocan City under the government’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino or 4PH program.