The housing needs of the Philippines, when spread over a period of twenty years, has been estimated to reach about 470,000 dwelling units per year. This requires the construction of about twelve new dwellings per thousand population per year to accommodate new households. Replace "unacceptable" dwellings such as the barong-barong or such other make-shift structures used for dwelling, allow for internal migration, and cover the backlog resulting from the actual rate of construction of only two dwellings per thousand population per year.
The Philippine government. through its various agencies involved in housing, has tried to meet the problem by various means, ranging from the construction of low-cost tenement houses to relocation. Various agencies have also been created at different times to study and provide solutions to the problem.
It seems, though, that the very steps taken to solve the problems have by themselves precluded the solution. A study made of the different housing agencies has revealed that the creation of so many agencies to solve the housing problem has only resulted in a lack of coordination in housing administration and in formulating a concentrated research program focused on housing.
Perhaps this lack of a comprehensive research program has contributed to the multifarious problems that have accompanied government efforts at meeting the housing shortage.
Research is basic to planning; it provides a basis for the planners' work. In the case of housing, one of the vital considerations is the people's choice. Since housing planning is to be done for the people, there is a need to know their desires and expectations. It is only by knowledge of the nature of housing desired can the planning of housing be made which would approximate the aspirations and fir the needs of those for whom these are intended.