Evasco pushes for construction fair

The national government is proposing to hold a construction fair to discuss alternative materials to be used in socialized housing projects.

The fair could either be held in Mindanao or Luzon, said Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) chair Leoncio Evasco, Jr., in a press briefing held Saturday.

Evasco said that the government was already considering making construction materials not only affordable but also in accordance with best practices.

The idea comes amid alternative construction materials being available in the market, such as porous concrete and the use of shredded trash as a component of hollow blocks, among others.

“We’re already thinking of organizing a construction fair that would encourage the use of friendly housing materials,” Evasco said.

Friendly, he said, meant friendly to the environment as well as the would-be homeowners.

The core shelter agencies were approaching an alternative approach to low cost housing.

Future low-cost housing projects, for example, would not only provide a certain number of houses.

The new homes would adopt a townsite concept of up to around four floors high to address shortage in available lots.

The concept would also incorporate community centers, where residents could gather for important events such as meetings, and traditional community activities such as worship.

The townsites would also host facilities traditionally needed by communities ranging from commercial centers to other needs such as facilities for doctors, dentists, tailors, among other needs of residents.

The Technical Education and Skills Development Agency could also be tapped to provide trainings to cater to women and other sectors to provide livelihoods.

The problem in government housing projects is that would-be residents are discouraged to live there because of factors such as distance to their workplace and lack of utilities like electricity and water, Evasco said.

For future projects, the HUDCC would encourage developers to include water catchment systems where residents can collect repurposed water from rainwater.

Solar energy is also a concept that is being explored, Evasco said.