Social housing is a basic need, not a political commodity. For low-income families still waiting for decent shelter, every new home built by the government means a step toward safer and more stable communities.
In the upland district of Calinan, rows of mid-rise buildings are changing the face of socialized housing in Davao City.
People’s Ville drew public attention after conflicting claims that the project should be credited to former President Rodrigo Duterte and her daughter Sara’s ‘accomplishment’ as city mayor prior to her being elected vice president, after a visit to the site in barangay Riverside on July 28 by President Marcos, and noted the pace of construction, with 26 buildings already completed and four more nearing completion within three years.
In Davao, long considered the Dutertes’ political stronghold, People’s Ville is emerging as one of the country’s largest modern social housing townships under the Marcos administration. It is also being seen as a possible model for affordable mass housing in fast-growing urban centers.
The Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), a key shelter agency under the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, started construction in 2023. The work began a year after Marcos declared the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program, or 4PH, a priority in the national shelter agenda.
After Marcos took office, SHFC President and Chief Executive Officer Federico Laxa reviewed the agency’s assets and saw the potential of its property in Calinan District. SHFC later proposed the site for one of its 4PH vertical housing townships, along with projects in San Fernando, Pampanga; Tagoloan, Misamis Oriental; Tondo, Manila; and Puerto Princesa City, Palawan.
On September 13, 2022, the Sangguniang Panlungsod approved the development permit for People’s Ville. A month later, the groundbreaking ceremony was held for Phases 1 to 3. The City Planning and Development Office then issued on July 26,2023 a certification, confirming that the project site was within a residential zone.
For Margo Babao, manager of SHFC’s 4PH projects in Davao City, People’s Ville marks a shift in public housing. He said the project is not only about putting roofs over families’ heads, but also about building a community where residents have safety, access and hope.