Our Approach
Our Approach
In all our programs and projects, our goal is to promote and implement approaches that are transformative and community-led, climate-crisis responsive, sustainable, and inclusive. We aim for a transformative process for each community that we assist, wherein community members and leaders become empowered by being involved in every step of the process. By providing them with our technical expertise and the proper training and workshops, we are able to empower them to make informed decisions for themselves and their communities.
We also aim to promote through our housing projects, climate-crisis responsive approaches such as, but not limited to, introducing alternative technologies for construction to the communities we serve, and how utilizing these technologies as opposed to conventional construction would have a positive impact on the environment, as well as on the overall affordability of the project.
In past housing projects of the alliance, we have been able to implement the use of interlocking compressed earth blocks (ICEBs) which allowed for a reduced cost in terms of construction materials. This also provided additional income to the community members, as they were prioritized in the workforce hiring for the production of these ICEBs. Although the sourcing of the necessary soil for ICEB production not as feasible in other parts of the country where LinkBuild operates, we are continuously growing our knowledge on alternative technologies and networking with technology providers on how we can successfully implement their respective technologies for our ongoing and future projects.
Storing of ICEBs after production
Laying-out of ICEBs during wall construction
House inspection of clients pre-turnover
Together with the member institutions of the Philippine Alliance, we aim for a holistic intervention that is not just focused on housing, but on the social, economic, and environmental transformation of the communities, we assist. The alliance is able to provide assistance to communities in various stages of community building with its different member institutions specializing in unique services. In every project, LinkBuild works closely with each institution within the alliance, as well as with our wide network of partner organizations outside of the alliance, to provide a curated service that addresses the specific needs of a community.
In the simplest sense, the various functions of the different institutions of the Philippine Alliance are as follows: HPFPI takes charge of community organizing matters, while PACSII serves as its legal and financial support institution; TAMPEI provides technical assistance through its wide network of architects, engineers, and planners; LinkBuild takes charge of the land development and housing delivery function; while CAMFI provides microfinancing options.
Below are photos of the different social preparations primarily conducted by HPFPI, and the various technical preparations needed for a project led by TAMPEI and LinkBuild. In all stages of these pre-construction social and technical preparations, the community is heavily involved.
Social Preparations
Settlements Profiling
Savings Orientation
Community Mapping
Technical Preparations
Site Assessment
Mapping and Survey
Settlements Mapping
Location of Boundaries
Using GPS Equipment
The housing delivery function of the alliance started in 2007 through PACSII before being formally devolved to LinkBuild in 2014, for the primary purpose of scaling up the development and delivery of sustainable housing. Core housing was conceived as an affordable housing program for low-income and poor families and communities, who due to their economic and/or legal instability, and with home lots not yet fully owned by them, are not eligible for commercial housing loans or schemes. Since 2007, 625 housing units have been built under PACSII, and since LinkBuild’s creation, 155 housing units, spread across five projects, have been built across the country.
To ensure habitability and acceptability, core houses are co-designed with communities through several rounds of workshops. Core housing provides families with the outer structural shell of the dwelling, all plumbing, and electrical rough-ins, as well as the septic tank system for wastewater treatment. Once the housing units are turned over to the families, they would be responsible for the incremental development of their respective houses over time according to their affordability, which may include the installation of apertures, floor membranes, and all interior finishes.
Core Housing Projects
Implemented under PACSII (2007-2011)
Iloilo Core Housing
Implemented under LinkBuild (2014-2020)
Jaro, Iloilo City - USWAG Core Housing
Mandaue City - SMASH-PAKNAAN Core Housing and Drainage
In line with LinkBuild’s goal of achieving sustainability and scaling up housing delivery, it has also been extensively developing other programs aside from core housing — one of which is the Integrated Land and Housing (ILH), with a concept of mixed-income housing development, which would be a combination of socialized and economic housing in one development. The socialized housing component is intended for LinkBuild’s primary target group, families below the poverty threshold and those within the low-income bracket, while the economic housing component is intended for lower-middle-income families. The intent of this concept is to maximize the value of the land and to ensure a housing development that is affordable and sustainable.
Another housing delivery program that LinkBuild is currently developing is its CMP Home Builder Program. In 2019, LinkBuild obtained accreditation from the Social Housing Finance Corporation as a CMP Home Builder, which means that communities can legitimately contract out the building of infrastructure and housing to LinkBuild, through their availment of second and third-stage CMP mortgage loans, respectively. LinkBuild is exploring the possible implementation of this program in several communities within and outside of the HPFPI.
Lastly, LinkBuild is piloting its Bridge Finance Facility (BFF) program, which is intended for communities planning to purchase land through a loan from the Social Housing Finance Corporation’s Community Mortgage Program. This program intends to facilitate the provision of short-term loans to communities to lock in a land deal by providing immediate finance, such as earnest money or down payment, normally required by landowners. The bridge loan has a term of between eighteen months to two years and is repaid to LinkBuild either directly by the community, or by SHFC upon takeout of the community’s CMP loan.
As a way to expand the scope of the program and to increase its effectiveness in addressing bottlenecks to housing, LinkBuild is closely studying the potential market for bridge finance intended for other land acquisition processes such as land titling, individualization, and processing of other requirements.