Manila, Feb. 19 -- President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has recognized the vital role of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) in transforming homeownership as a right rather than a privilege that needs to be earned.

"Housing should not be an act of charity, nor should it be a distant dream dangled out of reach. A home is not a luxury - it is the ground beneath a family's stability, the safeguard of its dignity, and a space where aspirations take root," the President said in his official message for the DHSUD's sixth anniversary, according to a news release from the agency on Wednesday.

"Yet, for too long, homeownership has been treated like a privilege to be earned rather than a right to be secured. DHSUD is he...