HOUSING COMMITTEE CHAIRMAN SEN. FRANCIS "TOL" N. TOLENTINO'S SPONSORSHIP SPEECH FOR THE CONFIRMATION OF DSHUD SEC. EDUARDO DEL ROSARIO

With the permission of this honorable Commission on Appointments, I'd to like relay some important information before endorsing the appointment of Sec. Eduardo del Rosario. It was more than a little year ago when President Duterte signed into law the landmark piece of legislation that created the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) which would serve as the primary national entity responsible for the management of housing, human settlements and urban development in the country. Meeting the needs of the Filipino people remains one of the largest challenges of our government. Katatapos lang po ng napakaraming bagyo, ang pinag-uusapan na naman ay ang kakulangan sa pabahay. This is why the establishment of DHSUD is crucial. By streamlining the functions of the government's key shelter agencies, save for the National Housing Authority, the agency's integrated multi-lateral approach in resolving our country's housing problem is a key to attaining the dream of every Filipino to have an adequate, safe, secure, habitable, sustainable, resilient, and affordable home. Given this monumental task that lies ahead, it is therefore equally important to select the right person who can lead DHSUD and the country towards achieving this dream for the Filipino people. Thus, after deliberations by the Committee on Human Settlement and Urban Development on the qualifications and fitness of the Hon. Eduardo Drueco del Rosario as the Secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, it is my privilege and honor to sponsor and report to the plenary the Committee's recommendation.

Allow me again to give this body a brief background of Eduardo Drueco del Rosario. A member of the Philippine Military Academy Class of 1980 or the Mapitagan Class. Sec. del Rosario earned two master's degrees--Business Administration and Public Administration at the Ateneo de Manila University and the Philippine Christian University, respectively. He also received his training for public corporate governance at the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) in 2017. His dedication to public service was born by his 37 years in the Armed Forces of the Philippines. His distinguished military career began in his military schooling with his scout ranger course and basic airborne course training in 1980. He ranked third out of the 103 trainees and topped his class in the field artillery officer basic course at the Combat Armed School in 1989.

Throughout his career in the military service, he earned various distinctions in his different capacities such as the founder of the Supreme Tribal Council for Peace and Development in Davao City in 2002--wherein he was baptized as honorary tribal chieftain and earned the title 'Datu Limbotung,' protector of Lumad's interest by the Ata Manobo Tribe. He further gained renowned as commander of Task Force Davao during the term of then-Mayor Duterte and initiated the revival of 'Alsa Lumad'--a counter-insurgency program that mobilizes the Lumad indigenous communities against the New People's Army. He also reactivated the recruitment of the indigenous to the Citizen Armed Forces Geographical Unit or the CAFGU.

Later, during his stint as General Officer-in-Charge of the AFP Southern Luzon Command in 2012, he was awarded the Bakas Parangal ng Kabayanihan for spearheading the mission, Task Force "Kalihim," for the search and retrieval of the remains of the former DILG Secretary.

Earning President Duterte's trust and confidence, he was appointed as Undersecretary for Civil, Veterans, and Retiree Affairs of the Department of National Defense in 2016. It is to be noted that as early as 2017, Sec. Del Rosario already began his good work in the housing sector, starting as Chairperson of the now-defunct HUDCC or the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and later as Vice Chairman of the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC).

Not a stranger to equally difficult and herculean tasks, he is also the head of the Task Force "Bangon Marawi". The task force was created in June 2017 in the aftermath of the Battle of Marawi. Among his achievements was the formulation of the Task Force's Master Development Plan, also called the R.I.S.E. plan, which stands for Resilience, Identity, Sustainability, and Evolution. These stand as the four pillars of the Marawi rehabilitation efforts which have served to anchor all their projects.

Recently, upon his ad interim appointment to the DHSUD post last January 2, 2020, Sec. Del Rosario wasted no time in responding to the housing needs of our people living in difficult areas--notably the Taal area of Batangas after the volcanic eruption.

To address the challenges of the housing industry, he likewise affirmed that the agency aims to work closely with the private sector, such as the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association, Inc., or the SHDA.

This just marks the beginning of what Sec. Del Rosario can do for the country and for our people and I believe that we can expect great things in our housing sector from the Department under his helm.

Mr. Chairman, my dear colleagues, Cong. Zamora, Majority Leader, it is my distinct privilege and honor to recommend that this body confirms the ad interim appointment of HONORABLE EDUARDO DRUECO DEL ROSARIO AS SECRETARY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT (DHSUD).

I so move, Mr. Chair.