The Palace on Tuesday made it clear that the People’s Ville housing project in Davao City was an initiative of the Marcos administration through the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), contrary to Vice President Sara Duterte’s earlier claim.
“Ang proyektong ito ay pinagplanuhan. Trinabaho ng kasalukuyang administrasyon ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. Dahil iyan ang nais ng Pangulo para sa ating mga kababayan. At ito ay para sa mga taga-Davao City,” Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said during a press briefing at Malacañang.
The clarification comes after other, unspecified parties had apparently taken credit for the project targeting perpetual renters, despite not having had a hand in its planning and execution, the Palace official claimed.
“Ngunit ang proyektong ito ay pilit na inaagaw ng ilang mapagpanggap, na kahit wala silang anumang kontribusyon sa pagod ng Pangulong Marcos Jr. at ang DHSUD, ay pilit bubulagin ang mga kababayan natin sa pamamagitan ng pagpapapanggap na kanila daw ang proyekto na People’s Ville sa Davao City,” she told reporters.
Castro held up enlarged photocopies of documents relevant to the construction of the housing project for the public to see.
She explained that the People’s Ville development permit was approved on July 18, 2023, and its certificate of registration issued in June 2024. Its building permit was issued on February 16, 2024.
Castro noted that these dates fall under the term of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who began his presidency in 2022.
Castro appealed to the public to exercise discernment, emphasizing that the housing project was launched for the benefit of Filipinos, and not to elevate any official’s name.
“So, mainam po na maging mapanuri tayo at ang proyektong ito ay para po sa ating mga kababayan. Hindi para magpabida ang sinuman,” she said.
Speaking to reporters on August 6, Vice President Sara Duterte claimed that she had initiated the People’s Ville project during her term as mayor of Davao City.
According to the DHSUD’s latest report, over 2,600 units have been completed, while four buildings with 400 units are currently under construction.
People’s Ville in Calinan District, Davao City, Castro said, was designed to accommodate 7,200 condominium units across 72 residential buildings.
