THE Department of Agrarian Reform is working double time to make its much-ballyhooed housing program ready for occupancy by the farmer-beneficiaries on or before the term of the administration President Rodrigo Roa Duterte ends in June next year.

DAR-Ilocos regional director Primo Lara and Assistant Regional Director and concurrent Pangasinan provincial agrarian reform program officer Ma. Ana Francisco recently conducted an ocular inspection at the site of the housing project, dubbed as BALAI Farmers’ Housing Project, in Barangay Carayungan Sur, Umingan, Pangasinan to monitor the progress of construction and development work.

The BALAI stands for “Building Adequate, Livable, Affordable and Inclusive” housing units for agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs). Each unit cost P300,000.00 with two-percent interest per annum.

“As much as possible, we wanted to ensure that construction and development work is running on schedule,” Lara said.

For her part, Francisco said the DAR is expecting to build at least 180 housing units in the two-hectare lot donated by the municipal government of Umingan, courtesy of Mayor Michael Carleone M. Cruz, Vice Mayor Dane King Noble and the Sangguniang Bayan.

While the ocular inspection is going on, a virtual project briefing was being conducted at the DAR provincial office in Urdaneta City by the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation for the BALAI Berde, a program that finances the green and climate-conscious housing projects, before DAR representatives and members of the board of directors of the Umingan-based D’Plowman Multipurpose Cooperative, the housing project beneficiaries.

The housing project is being pursued jointly by the DAR and the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development, in partnership with a private real estate developer, the Bellavita Land Corporation

“This is a history in the making because there has never been a housing program for our farmers. This is the first time,” DAR Secretary Brother John R. Castriciones said.

Brother John said the housing program seeks to develop affordable and eco-friendly housing designs, production and income generating facilities for farmer-beneficiaries in cooperation with relevant stakeholders.

“We want our farmers to have decent shelters, as well as make them self-sufficient by providing each housing unit sufficient space for state-of-the art gardening,” Bro. John said.

The goodness of the project drove DHSUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario to give his full support to it, which paved the way for the signing of the memorandum of understanding between and among the DAR, the DHSUD and the Bellavita Land Corporation December of last year.

Doble kayod ngayon ang Department of Agrarian Reform upang maihanda ang maayos at de-kalidad na programang pabahay ng ahensya sa pagnanais na maokupa ito ng mga magsasakang-benepisyaryo bago matapos ang termino ng administrasyon ni Pangulong Rodrigo Roa Duterte sa Hunyo ng darating na taon.

Nagsagawa ng ocular inspection kamakailan sina DAR-Ilocos regional director Primo Lara at Assistant Regional Director at concurrent Pangasinan provincial agrarian reform program officer Ma. Ana Francisco sa mismong lugar ng kung saan itatayo ang proyektong pabahay na tinaguriang “BALAI Farmers’ Housing Project” sa Barangay Carayungan Sur, Umingan Pangasinan upang siguruhing maayos ang takbo ng pagpapagawa.

Ang BALAI ay may kahulugan na “Building Adequate, Livable, Affordable and Inclusive” na pabahay para sa mga agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs). Bawat isang bahay ay nagkakahalaga ng P300,000.00 na may dalawang porsiyentong interes kada taon.

“Hangga’t maaari, nais naming masiguro na ang konstruksyon at pagsasaayos ng trabaho ay tumatakbo ayon sa tamang panahon,” ani Lara.

Ayon naman kay Francisco, umaasa ang DAR na makapagpapatatayo ng hindi bababa sa 180 bahay sa dalawang ektaryang lote na kusang-loob na ibinahagi ng pamahalaang bayan ng Umingan para sa proyekto, sa kagandahang-loob nina Mayor Michael Carleone M. Cruz, Vice Mayor Dane King Noble at ng Sangguniang Pambayan.

Habang isinasagawa ang ocular inspection, isang virtual project briefing naman ang nagaganap sa pangangasiwa ng National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation para sa Balai Berde, isang programa na tumutustos para sa green at climate-conscious na proyektong pabahay sa harap ng mga kinatawan ng DAR at mga kasapi ng board of directors ng D’Plowman Multipurpose Cooperative, ang benepisyaryo ng nasabing proyektong pabahay.

Ang proyektong pabahay ay magkasamang isinusulong ng DAR at ng Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development, sa pakikipagtulungan ng isang pribadong real estate developer, ang Bellavita Land Corporation.

“Ito ay isang kasaysayang maituturing dahil wala pang programang pabahay ang naitaguyod para sa mga magsasaka. Ito ang kauna-unahan,” sabi ni DAR Secretary Brother John R. Castriciones.

Ayon kay Bro. John, layunin ng nasabing programang pabahay na makapagtayo ng abot-kaya at maka-kalikasang pabahay na may pataniman at mapagkakakitaang pasilidad para sa mga magsasaka sa pakikipagtulungan ng iba’t-ibang stakeholders.

“Gusto namin na ang ating mga magsasaka ay magkaroon ng disenteng bahay at magkaroon ng sariling kakayahang pangkabuhayan sa pamamagitan ng paglaan ng sapat sa espasyo para sa state-of-the-art gardening,” dagdag pa ni Bro. John.

Ang kagandahan ng konsepto ng proyekto ang nagtulak kay DHSUD Secretary Eduardo del Rosario upang ibigay ang kanyang buong suportaha na naging daan upang ikasa ang memorandum of understanding sa pagitan ng DAR at DHSUD, kabilang na ang Bellavita Land Corporation na pinirmahan noong Disyembre ng nakaraang taon.