President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo recently signed Executive Order No. 840 declaring as housing and relocation sites for government employees and informal settler families a government property in San Miguel, Bulacan.
That parcel of land with a total area of 1,551.1416 hectares is owned by the Department of Finance (DOF) and is up for development. It is located in barangays Tartaro, Calumpang, Sibul, Kinamatayang Kabayo, Sta. Lucia and Malibay.
EO 840 subdivides and disposes the property for the following: 300 hectares for the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), 300 hectares for the Philippine National Police (PNP), 300 hectares for teachers, 300 hectares for government employees, and the remaining 351.1416 hectares for informal settlers living in danger areas whose homes were destroyed by Typhoon Ondoy and those who may be similarly situated caused by future catastrophes.
The National Housing Authority (NHA), as administrator of the housing site, was tasked together with the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), to secure the allocation of a budget to implement the order. The AFP, PNP and Department of Education (DepED), meanwhile, will provide corresponding funds from their respective savings for site development cost and other logistical requirements for the project.
Corollary to this, the EO also creates an executive committee to formulate policies such as qualification of beneficiaries, kit pricing or payment schemes for effective implementation. The committee is composed of the General Manager of NHA as Chairperson and representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), AFP, PNP and DepED.
