The City of Victorias in Negros Occidental will begin the construction of housing units under the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program (4PH) in the first quarter of 2024, Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez said on Friday.

“All papers are done. We are finalizing the design. It will start the first quarter of next year,” the mayor said in an interview.

He said the housing project, called the Sidlak Village, will rise on a “very prime location” right beside the city’s proposed New Government Center in the city-owned property in Barangay XIII.

It will have 1,620 housing units across a series of five-story buildings situated on a 2.5-hectare property.

“The master plan will be what we feel it should be developed. You have a government center close to your house, close to school, close to a clinic, an evacuation center, and a multi-purpose hall,” Benitez said.

He added that the city’s housing project will have 32 percent green space, which refers to areas for parks and gardens, beyond the 20 percent pushed by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).

Last month, Benitez, on behalf of the city government, signed a joint venture agreement (JVA) to develop the Sidlak Village with Scheirman Construction Consolidated Inc.

The collaboration covers financing, design, construction, and development of a mixed-used integrated infrastructure for housing and a sustainable community.

The signing of the JVA complies with the memorandum of agreement between the city government, DHSUD, and the Pag-IBIG Fund in February this year.

The provision of dignified human settlements to all Victorias residents is part of the six-point agenda of Benitez’s administration.

“We are moving towards a more conscious and forward-looking human settlement that will withstand the modern problems of every human community,” the mayor said. (PNA)

Photo credit: Victorias City Information Office