The Philippine Online Chronicles

Vice-president Jejomar Binay has joined President Noynoy Aquino’s cabinet as chair of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), and will be working closely with Gawad Kalinga (GK).

Among Binay’s projects will be the “Kalinga sa Bayan” project with GK, an anti-poverty mass-housing and community development group. Kalinga sa Bayan seeks to provide housing and livelihood to five million families by 2024.

“Vice President Binay as mayor of Makati has been an aggressive GK partner for two years and jointly supporting community building efforts of more than 400 informal settlers from Makati now relocated in a beautifully developed subdivision in San Jose del Monte in Bulacan,” said the GK in a statement.

“GK believes that Vice President Binay will be a strong and dedicated champion for the poor with his own wisdom and effectiveness born of his experience and achievements in Makati City, which is the premier city of the country,” it added.

Binay has already met with GK founder Tony Meloto and executive director Luis Oquinena to discuss the project.

“The meeting was very positive. In fact, he [Binay] wants to champion it… We’re very happy of the outcome,” said Oquinena.

A unified administration

“He (Aquino) had reiterated his offer [for Binay to join the cabinet] in view of his desire for a unified administration to serve the people. We look forward to the Vice President’s positive contributions to the administration’s efforts,” said presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda.

Binay originally expressed interest in the chairmanship of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), a post which instead went to former Naga City mayor Jesse Robredo.

Since then Binay has reportedly refused several other posts offered to him by Aquino, including the HUDCC initially, although Binay said that this was because he did not want to be an additional burden for the president. Binay only decided to accept the post after a recent meeting with Aquino.

“After a discussion with the President, I am following his request to take charge of the housing sector as chair of the HUDCC,” Binay said in a statement.

“I look forward to implementing the President’s objectives for housing and shelter and working with volunteer organizations like the Gawad Kalinga, with whom I share a common dream of building not just homes but sustainable communities for our people,” he added.

Binay’s media officer Joey Salgado added that “[t]he Vice President has always maintained that he is ready to assist the President.

“Such offer is not pre-conditioned on any Cabinet position,” Salgado said. “It’s not the positions being offered to the Vice President but the need for people who can assist the President. In whatever capacity, the Vice President is ready to help.”

The HUDCC was previously under the leadership of former vice-president Noli de Castro.

“I can help him as former HUDCC chairman if he needs my help,” de Castro said in an interview. He pointed out that Binay could focus on the development of the Pag-IBIG Fund and Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), which provides affordable housing programs for government employees.

The HUDCC is the highest policy-making body for housing. It is composed of housing agencies including the Pag-IBIG fund, the National Housing Authority (NHA), the Home Guaranty Corporation (HGC), the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (HGC), and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB).