A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology

One of the major thrusts of the Philippine government is to encourage private · sector participation in the provision of low-cost housing or the so called "socialized housing" . To this end, the Joint Venture Program (JVP), a public-private partnership strategy is launched to provide accessible and affordable housing units by pursuing a resource-pooling between the two sectors. The JVP is designed to maximize the private sector's involvement into the mainstream of low-income housing through sharing of resources, profits and risks to the extent of equity contributions. Under this Program, the public sector serves as the "facilitator", while the private sector is the main actor in housing development. This study is an evaluative and descriptive type of research focusing on the mechanism of public-private sector partnership under the JVP. Four case studies are described and assessed using available secondary data. The assessment is focused on the strengths and weaknesses of both sectors, returns in investment, land cost and location, and affordability. The findings showed that socialized housing can be successfully implemented through a public-private partnership. Despite some weaknesses with the partnership like delays of construction and payments, and political influence in the selection of target beneficiaries, the partnership proved to be profitable and responsive to the housing needs of the 50th percentile income group.