Creba convention calls for unified action to overcome housing barriers
As the goal of homeownership is challenged by climate change, social inequality, and corruption, homebuilders and stakeholders must respond with greater resolve and synergy.
This was the powerful call to action delivered by Noel “Toti” M. Cariño in his welcome address to members of the Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations Inc. (Creba) during its national convention held in Baguio City on Oct. 15 to 17.
Cariño is president of Creba, the Philippines’ umbrella organization of firms and professionals involved in the various aspects of housing and the real property business.
Tangible progress
“The challenges before us—climate, housing, inequality—demand not isolation, but solidarity,” Cariño said before hundreds at event venue Hotel Supreme Mall and Events Center. “No single sector, no single voice can move a nation forward alone. But united, with one vision and one will, we can turn our shared dreams into tangible progress.”
He was alluding to the convention theme, “One Voice, One Vision: Housing for All.” It was an invitation for the government, private developers and many other stakeholders to participate in fulfilling Creba’s longtime hope.
“In recent years, we have been reminded of how fragile those hopes can be. Natural and manmade calamities have tested both the strength of our homes and the endurance of our people.”
The calamities made it even harder for the country to solve a 6.5-million housing backlog, a figure acknowledged even by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).
“Yet through it all, one truth stands firm: Resilience is not inherited—it is built, deliberately and together,” he said. “Let us renew our promise to the Filipino people that we will continue to build not only houses, but homes that uplift lives and strengthen communities.”
Biggest real estate gathering
The convention gathered members from dozens of chapters nationwide for what Creba touted as “the biggest real estate gathering of the year.”
The program included a landmark forum series jointly organized with DHSUD Cordillera Administrative Region. The activity, dubbed “CREBA-DHSUD Day,” brought policymakers, housing developers and urban planners to discuss how Filipino families could live in affordable homes that did not compromise on safety and resilience.
Plenary sessions on Oct. 16 and 17 zeroed in on the topics of inclusive and sustainable housing, and translating policies on national housing targets into real units. For the duration of the convention, a Housing and Trade Expo showcased new trends and technologies, along with discounts and other deals on products and services.
Several government executives came to share programs that may help more families attain homeownership and fulfill the targets of the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) program: Marilene Acosta of Pag-IBIG Fund, Renato Tobias of the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp., DHSUD Senior Undersecretary Henry Yap, Undersecretary Maria Edita Z. Tan.
Outstanding model LGUs
A highlight was the formal reception of Creba board resolutions declaring Baguio and Pasig as “Outstanding Model LGUs,” and honoring their respective mayors and leaders.
The cities are headed by Baguio City Mayor Benjamin Magalong and Pasig City Mayor Vico Sotto, both of whom are convenors of the Mayors for Good Governance coalition, which made headlines recently for supporting investigations into substandard and ghost flood control projects.
The resolutions noted that both leaders’ “firm stance against corrupt practices in government has not only strengthened public confidence but also created an enabling environment for investments to thrive, particularly in the real estate, housing and infrastructure sectors…”
Pasig City Vice Mayor Dodot Jaworski, who represented Sotto, said in his speech on Oct. 16: “Corruption exists where there is silence. It thrives in the shadows; in the ‘pwede na yan’ culture, in the handshake deals, in the belief that ‘lahat naman gumagawa niyan.’”
“But we must break that cycle,” he added. “Each of us, in government, in business, in civil society, must refuse to participate in corrupt systems. We must demand accountability from our leaders, and just as importantly, from ourselves.”
Magalong, in his keynote speech on Oct. 17, noted that ethical leadership and sustainable urban planning were crucial in achieving a robust real estate industry in the Philippines.
Passage of resolutions
Cariño and Creba national chair Jerry Navarrete led the passage of those resolutions during the organization’s 6th General Membership Meeting on Sept. 25 in Makati. They came along with a resolution expressing support for new Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon in his crusade to get the flood control controversies resolved.
Topics may have been heavy, but the convention was also an opportunity to unwind and socialize. The events included the Creba National Golf Tournament at Pinewoods Golf and Country Club.
The Chapters’ Night on Oct. 16, taking the “flower festival” theme, paid homage to the world-renowned Panagbenga Festival of Baguio. That was sandwiched by the cowboy-themed welcome night and Hollywood-themed Gala Night on Oct. 15 and 17, respectively.
There was even a reunion on Oct. 15 for alumni of the Executive Diploma Program in Real Estate Management, a continuing education program offered by a consortium composed of the De La Salle College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) and Creba.
