By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Senator JV Ejercito Estrada believes the law he authored, creating the Department of Human Settlements, will address the country’s housing backlog.

Ejercito, in a press conference over the weekend, said the new department will unify the functions of the six agencies currently charged with housing, including the National Housing Authority, Housing and Land Use Regulation Board, and Pag-IBIG Fund.

“The lack of coordination among these agencies worsened the housing woes in the Philippines,” he said.

The senator pointed out, right now, we have 1.6 million in backlog.

He projected, under the old system, the number could reach six million by 2020.

“They did not care if people will live in their houses,” he added.

Negros Occidental third district Rep. Alfredo Benitez, who was also at the press conference, called the law’s passage “long overdue../DGB, WDJ