Benchmark Price of Subsidized Houses Not Yet Final

Jakarta (Antara) - The Public Housing Ministry stated that the benchmark price of subsidized houses after the recent fuel price hike has yet to be final pending the results of studies and inputs from various parties. "No final selling price (of subsidized houses) has been set," Pangihutan Marpaung, deputy for formal housing to the public housing minister, said here on Friday. He said a study of how much is the benchmark price of houses entitled to home financing liquidity facility (FLPP) which is the ministry's subsidy program is still being conducted by involving various parties. He said there have been requests including those from the Indonesian Real Estate (REI), an association of property developers, to raise the benchmark price by 30 percent. "If the benchmark price of subsidized houses is to be raised by 30 percent, REI believes they can supply up to 300,000 units of houses," he said. The benchmark price of subsidized houses will likely be decided in the next few weeks, he added. Previously, the ministry stated one of its programs to compensate the low-income people for the subsidized fuel price hike was constructing self-supporting houses for them. "One of the programs to compensate the poor for the reduction of fuel subsidy is to construct self-supporting houses for them," Jamil Ansari, deputy for self-supporting housing to the public housing minister, said. (*)