Award of housing units to Kadamay OK’d

MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives has approved a resolution legitimizing the occupation by members of the leftist group Kadamay of government housing units in Bulacan.

Joint Resolution 15 was approved on third and final reading on Wednesday night.

The resolution also authorizes the National Housing Authority (NHA) to award vacant housing units to other qualified beneficiaries.

The NHA will violate the budget law with the award of housing units to Kadamay members without the resolution, Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez, House committee on housing chairman, said yesterday. 

“That is because the money the NHA used was intended for housing units for the military and other uniformed personnel,” Benitez said.

He said the joint resolution would have the force and effect of a law.

Noting that many housing units remain vacant, Benitez said the government might as well distribute them to other qualified beneficiaries. “This way, the NHA could also recover its cost in building those dwelling units,” he said.

In April, President Duterte allowed Kadamay members to stay in the houses they occupied in Pandi.

Kadamay members occupied close to 6,000 of the more than 10,000 housing units in the town. 

Gabriela Rep. Arlene Brosas, one of Kadamay’s allies in the House, welcomed the approval of Joint Resolution 15.

Brosas said the measure stemmed “from the victory of Kadamay in its just occupation of idle units in Pandi.”

She said the implementing rules should simplify the procedures in the award of idle units to informal settler families instead of creating barriers and technicalities.