Congress urged to pass housing measures

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) yesterday reiterated the call of President Duterte for Congress to pass measures that would support the government’s housing programs for the poor and informal settler families.

In his recent State of the Nation Address (SONA), Duterte urged Congress to hasten the passage of two pending bills – the National Housing Development Act and the Rental Housing Subsidy Act – to beef up the government’s mass housing projects.

The National Housing Development Bill seeks to earmark additional funds to hasten government-led housing programs for the underprivileged.

The Rental Housing Subsidy Bill seeks to provide a flat-rate rental cash aid to informal sector families, to enable them to access the formal housing market.

Versions of both bills are pending before the committee levels at the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Human Settlements Secretary Eduardo del Rosario said the passage of both measures would help address the country’s rising housing needs, which the DHSUD earlier projected to be 6.5 million units by 2022.

“We at DHSUD welcome the President’s call for lawmakers to hasten the passage into law of the National Housing Development and Rental Housing Subsidy bills. Having such legislations will make it easier for the government to carry out its housing programs nationwide,” Del Rosario said in a statement yesterday.

To complement the two bills, the DHSUD is in the process of crafting a 20-year housing strategic roadmap.

The 20-year plan will push for the construction of high quality and affordable housing units for Filipinos in coordination with the private sector, Del Rosario said.

The roadmap aims to aid housing and real estate “in pump-priming the economy,” Del Rosario said in a statement yesterday.

The strategic plan will be implemented in the form of short, medium and long-term programs and projects covering a 20-year period, aligned with the National Economic and Development Authority’s AmBisyon Natin 2040 economic roadmap.