Good evening, officials of Gawad Kalinga, volunteers and partners, my fellow local chief executives, friends.

            Dati nang isang malaking karangalan ang makasama ang mga taga-Gawad Kalinga foundation sa kanilang mga proyekto. Noong nakaraang taon nasaksihan ko ang groundbreaking at ang turnover ceremonies ng BDO Foundation-GK community sa Dreamlandville sa San Jose del Monte, Bulacan. Bahagi po iyon ng Makati-GK joint community development project noong ako’y pinuno pa ng lungsod. At marami pang okasyon na ako’y nakasama, naki-isa, at nakitulong sa mga simulain at proyekto ng GK.

            Ngayong ika-pitong anibersaryo ng GK, hindi po ako nag-atubili at narito ulit upang makibahagi sa kasayahan, at lalo pang palakasin ang ating pagtutulungan sa isang kinikilalang nag-iisang tungkulin—ang pabahay lalo na para sa mga mahihirap.

            We need to strengthen our commitments especially now that I am in a position to work with you even more intently, and even more with the confidence of President Noynoy Aquino who put me here right at the head of the government housing effort. There will no longer be excuses that we cannot work together. We have our work cut out for us; we know that the housing need does not diminish. In fact the population keeps on increasing, urban migration is not stopping, there is dislocation and displacement, and life in general for our poor kababayans is not easing.

            But you know all this. We know all this. Our fellow mayors, mga pinunong-bayan, know only too well the increasing need for resources, the demands being made from the city coffers, to ease the housing need especially in the informal sector. GK knows only too well otherwise it will not persist in its vision and struggle and not reach its 7th anniversary. I know only too well—and even more—now that i head the coordinating council of all the government’s housing agencies. In fact i have become even more educated of the extent of the problem and the complexity of the situation.

            We know for a fact that our housing need is now estimated at 3.6 million units. Multiply that by 70 thousand pesos—the cheapest cost, based on record, for building a housing unit measuring more or less 24 square meters - and you can imagine a budget requirement of a whopping 252 billion pesos thereabouts, to address the need, and we haven’t even considered the land cost yet.

            And this estimate again considers mainly that part of our population with the buying capacity and the qualification to borrow under our social housing finance programs. What about those in the informal sectors?  Our kababayans who actually build our houses—carpenters, masons, peons—cannot afford to buy houses and many times they end up as the so-called informal settlers near the housing development that they helped build. How do we help them? I have called for a service-for-home financing program, but we all know that such a proposal is easier said than done. We have to study parameters and details, we have to explore more institutional reform to make something like this possible.

            And of course there is GK. Salamat na lang may GK. Kung saan nahihirapang makapasok ang gobyerno, madalas naroon ang GK — may pabahay, may pahanapbuhay, may pagpapanday ng may-sariling sikap na pamayanan — self-sustaining communities. Madalas din, habang namumulat ang gobyerno, ay nagiging bukas na makipagtulungan sa GK. Tulad namin sa Makati, natitiyak ko na ang aming partnership ay magpapatuloy at mananatili lampas pa sa ika-pitong anibersaryo ng GK na ipinagdiriwang natin ngayon.

            Kayo rin po, my fellow local chief executives. Narito kayo, alam ko, upang alamin at masusing pag-aralan ang mga paraan pa sa pakikipagtulungan sa pribadong sektor upang harapin ang pangangailangan sa pabahay ng sari-sarili ninyong mga siyudad. Kayo ang eksperto sa inyong sitwasyon; ang GK at ang pribadong sektor sa pabahay ay dala rin ang kanilang nalalaman at kaalaman sa produksiyon, pinansiya, at iba pang aspekto ng pabahay. Sana, ipinapanalangin namin, siya naming mataos na mithiin, na kayo’y magsalubong sa gitna at maging kapakipakinabang sa ating mga mamamayan. That is my fervent wish for my fellow local chief executives, that is also my manner of greeting GK, happy anniversary!

            Ngunit hindi tayo nagtatapos dito, at ito’y simula pa lang. Lalunang hindi natin maaaring ipaubaya lahat sa GK at sa private initiative ang malaking bahagi ng pangangailangan sa pabahay ng ating mga mamamayan. Kaya nga tayo narito upang mag-usap, magpalitan ng kuro-kuro at kaalaman.

            And the housing situation will no longer be dire. If we know, we can act. Not least because the vision has been defined for us by our new leadership. A vision for the general good that is less prone to the distractions of selfish interests, or the blandishments of favor or bribe. Of corruption, in a word.

            That is where our hope comes from. Apart from that, we are armed with knowledge—the what, the whys and wherefores, the how—knowledge that is both technical and human. Knowledge that not just educates but liberates.

            Katulad po ng sinasabi ni President Noynoy Aquino na ibig niyang makita na isang bagong Pilipino — ang tinatawag na mabuting Pilipino. Mabuti hindi dahil mabait, kundi mabuti dahil may malasakit sa iba. Good not just for oneself, but for others.

            Iyan po ang mabuting Pilipino na aking nababanaag sa malapit na hinaharap. Hindi natatakot na isulong ang buhay; hindi natatakot mangarap at umangat sa kahirapan. Hindi natatakot makipaglaban ngunit hindi rin natatakot maging mabuti at mabait.

            That is the Filipino who is not afraid to fight for his dreams. That is also the Filipino who is not afraid to be compassionate.

            Happy 7th anniversary, GK!

            Magandang gabi po sa inyong lahat.