In Iloilo City, Philippines, an Inclusive Housing Program Protects Vulnerable Communities from Flood Risks

Iloilo City, Philippines, implemented a Participatory Housing and Urban Development project to protect vulnerable urban poor communities from flood risks. Through a partnership between the local government and the Homeless People’s Federation of the Philippines Inc. (HPFPI), the city moved 1,250 households from flood-prone waterways to secure, within-city housing. The initiative replaced forced evictions with community-driven planning and innovative financing, including over 560 collective savings groups, and integrated urban poor representatives into city government boards for land use and disaster risk.

• Iloilo City's Participatory Housing and Urban Development project is a collaborative effort between the local government and community groups, such as the Homeless People’s Federation of the Philippines Inc. (HPFPI), to relocate vulnerable residents from flood-prone waterways to safer, resilient housing. This partnership has supported the resettlement of 1,250 households within the city, improving their access to health care, schools, and employment.
• The project emerged as a response to a history of forced evictions and inadequate relocation to underdeveloped sites outside city limits. In 2005, the HPFPI co-founded the Iloilo City Urban Poor Network (ICUPN) to ensure that resettlement from unsafe areas is community-driven and does not increase poverty. A 2007 citywide survey conducted by the Federation estimated that by 2009, 9,700 households lived in informal settlements without formal tenure.
• Under Mayor Jerry P. Treñas, the city government shifted its approach to housing governance by committing to secure land tenure and providing government-banked land for relocations. This included the purchase of a 16.2-hectare parcel for households affected by flood-control projects, eventually expanding to 23 sites across the city.
• The Federation implemented innovative, community-sourced financing and construction solutions to bypass the limitations of mainstream finance, such as the central government's Community Mortgage Program. By utilizing low-interest loans and community savings, they established over 560 collective savings groups with more than 4,500 household members to fund land acquisition and housing repairs.

APA

World Resources Institute (2023). In Iloilo City, Philippines, an Inclusive Housing Program Protects Vulnerable Communities from Flood Risks. https://www.wri.org/insights/iloilo-city-philippines-housing-flood-protection

Chicago

World Resources Institute. In Iloilo City, Philippines, an Inclusive Housing Program Protects Vulnerable Communities from Flood Risks. 2023. https://www.wri.org/insights/iloilo-city-philippines-housing-flood-protection.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=World Resources Institute |title=In Iloilo City, Philippines, an Inclusive Housing Program Protects Vulnerable Communities from Flood Risks |date=11 January 2023 |url=https://www.wri.org/insights/iloilo-city-philippines-housing-flood-protection |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{worldresourcesinstitute2023iloilo, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{In Iloilo City, Philippines, an Inclusive Housing Program Protects Vulnerable Communities from Flood Risks}}, institution = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2023}, month = jan, url = {https://www.wri.org/insights/iloilo-city-philippines-housing-flood-protection}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }