Mayor REX Gatchalian, together with city officials and partners from Gawad Kalinga Foundation Inc., and National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP), leads the groundbreaking ceremony for the Valenzuela’s third in-city housing project, Disiplina Village Lingunan, February 14, 2019.

The City Government of Valenzuela, in partnership with NGCP and Gawad Kalinga Foundation, signed a Memorandum of Agreement last December 7, 2018 for the construction of the third Disiplina Village in T. Santiago Street, Barangay Lingunan that would house informal settler families (ISFs) currently living along NGCP’s San Jose-Quezon transmission lines. The future site will be home to 792 beneficiary families to be accommodated in 792 housing units on 22 three-storey buildings on the 2.5-hectare lot.

The rise of the “Disiplina Village: Bagong Bahay, Bagong Buhay” housing program became the model of other local government units in transferring ISFs from danger zones to a sustainable and decent community they can call home.

The city’s flagship housing project was borne out of the necessity to relocate the ISF communities affected by Typhoon Ondoy, paving the way the 1.9 hectare Disiplina Village Ugong which accommodates 892 families.  Its success spurred the construction of the 11.13-hectare Disiplina Village Bignay which accommodates 3,708 families previously living along waterways and those affected by the NLEX Segment Expansion Project.  The goal of completely clearing all waterways and other danger zones of ISFs shall be met by the end of 2019.

Furthermore, the city government expects the transfer of about 300 more families affected by the imminent construction of the Metro Manila Subway to Disiplina Village Bignay’s Phase 4 by the end of the first quarter of this year.

The exemplary planning and execution of the housing projects garnered the city various recognitions and recognitions including: Government Best Practice Recognition (GBPR) 2017 from the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) and the prestigious Galing Pook Award 2017 for innovation in local governance.

Target completion of the Disiplina Village Lingunan (DVL) is by April 2020, with initial turnover of units expected by November 2019.