Malabon City Administrator and concurrent head of the City Housing and Development Department Dr. Alexander Rosete joined researchers and policy advocates during the International Conference on Urban Affairs (ICUA) held at Marriott Marquis Hotel in New York, United States from April 24 -27, where he presented how local government strategies in implementing housing programs help in reducing poverty and promoting resilience and equity, and improve the lives of residents.
The ICUA, housed in the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, brings together urban-focused researchers, planners, and policy advocates to examine strategies to make cities more equitable and resilient in the post-pandemic era (https://urbanaffairsassociation.org/conference/). This is the 52nd Annual ICUA of the Urban Affairs Association.
Dr. Rosete, the former director and chief administrative officer of the City of Manila’s Urban Settlements Office (MUSO) and the only Filipino presenter at the conference discussed studies, evaluations, and recommendations for the better implementation of Manila’s Land for the Landless Housing Services Program (LLP) After Forty Years: Basis For Intervention On Development Plan, which helps in eradicating poverty in all forms in the country’s capital.
The program aims to provide aid to tenants/occupants of lands, landed estates, and haciendas in the city of Manila for them to acquire the lands where their houses were built and ensure that these areas are safe, secure, and healthy.
He also shared the Malabon City government’s local strategies including housing/relocation programs and a department created to focus on implementing projects that provide safer and better homes for the residents.
According to Dr. Rosete, the study conducted on LLP aims to identify areas of concerns and challenges to be addressed and so that it can better be delivered to the underprivileged and vulnerable sector (informal settler families and the low-income population).
It was made to address crucial problems such as the shortage of adequate houses and land, the growing number of ISFs, and the struggle of beneficiaries to pay for monthly amortization, to help local government units in creating strategies and better uplift the lives of the resident not just in Manila and Malabon, but in other cities where LLP can be adopted.
Dr. Rosete said they came up with recommendations for the continuation of the program’s implementation including the efficiency of collection that will ensure that beneficiaries of the homes will be able to pay for their purchased lands and other charges; integration of livelihood opportunities such as the “Cash 4 Work” program in the LLP, which will allow the qualified beneficiaries to work from 10-30 days and earn money to support their families as well as their purchase of land; the process redesign of the monthly amortization payment, to review existing processes and identify inefficiencies and gaps; and the shift to digital/electronic payments for faster and effective collection of payments and other processes.
Other recommendations include a monitoring and evaluation plan that focuses on the effectiveness, efficiency, and impact of the program, and the integration of Multistream Management in the implementation of the LLP for effective project management.
Dr. Rosete said that Multistream Management focuses on a set of criteria for effective project management and is characterized by its emphasis on multiple forms of well-being – Aesthetics, Ecological, Emotional, Individual, Intellectual, Material, Physical, Social, and Spiritual – that encompass various dimensions of human experience, ranging from the tangible aspects like physical and material wellbeing to the more abstract realms of emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Each area contributes to our overall sense of fulfillment and happiness, highlighting the multifaceted nature of human flourishing.
“Through this study, we have identified several challenges and issues of the LLP, including recommendations on how the address these problems so that we can effectively deliver it to our people and improve their way of living. With effective programs and other innovations, the residents of Manila and Malabon will have adequate shelters or homes, and with the recommendations made, we will be able to align our goals for housing to the needs of the residents,” Dr. Rosete said.
Earlier this month, Dr. Rosete attended the Housing Studies Association (HSA) Annual Conference 2024 in the Manchester, United Kingdom where he served as the only Filipino conference paper presenter and discussed strategies for promoting health through the implementation of housing initiatives.
In February 2024, he also discussed with researchers and policymakers the local government of Malabon’s best practices in implementing housing and urban development programs in the 2024 Joint Australiasian Housing Research Conference and Asia-Pacific Network for Housing Research – 13th Australian Housing Researchers’ Conference at the University of South Australia – City West Campus, City of Adelaide.
The ICUA was organized by the Urban Affairs Association, an interdisciplinary professional organization of 700+ urban scholars, researchers, policy analysts, & practitioners in the public services who promote the development of various research activities.
ADVT.