BALAI FILIPINO:

Building A Legacy for the Advancement and Integrity of the FILIPINO Family

 

“Balai” is derived from the Malay word “balay” which means house and “balai”, also a Malay word for a hall, a large building, or a station for public use. Ma. Corazon A. Hila, in her book, “The Ethnic Balai: Living in Harmony with Nature”, referred to the vernacular “balai” as the “pure, Southeast Asian type of domestic architecture found in the non-Hispanized, non-Anglo-Saxon communities around the country.”

Viewed as the origin of traditional Philippine architecture, all forms of the vernacular balai are built to meet specific needs, primary of which is the accommodation of values, economies, and ways of living of the culture that produced them. Thus, for NHA, Balai, in its brand new and innovative form, not only refers to a dwelling unit, but features the Integration of families in their new communities and villages, and design Innovations that can lead to better living conditions in our project sites.

From the cave dwellings of our pre-colonial ancestors and the bahay na bato of the old Hispanic times, our housing tradition have gone through many changes and have adopted various techniques and development that cater to the changing needs of its dwellers. Today, the *life that we wanted for the Filipino people is summarized in three words: Matatag, Maginhawa, and Panatag. We envision it as a prosperous, predominantly middle class society where no one is poor, and where people live long and healthy lives in a society that is trustworthy, smart, and innovative.

Through the brand Balai Filipino, the NHA aims to uphold our mandate and mission of providing adequate and affordable housing to low-income families, ensure provision of community facilities and access to utilities, social and economic opportunities. Along with this, we envision NHA to build not just homes, but thriving and flourishing communities where integration of culture and advancements in the lives of the Filipino families are sustained.

 

* – Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022