The House of Representatives approved House Bill (HB) 10772, which would improve the delivery of socialized housing programs.
The bill, which garnered 178 affirmative votes and three negative votes without abstention, aims to make available at affordable cost decent housing and basic services to the underprivileged and homeless citizens in urban centers and resettlement areas.
Principally authored by Representatives Roy Loyola, Francisco “Kiko” Benitez and Ma. Victoria Co-Pilar.
Access to adequate and affordable housing is considered an important indicator of a country’s social and economic development as one of the factors that dictate the quality of life of a citizen.”
“Housing is an essential component of human well-being, a necessity that provides not only physical shelter but also a sense of security, stability, and community. Access to adequate and affordable housing is a fundamental human right and is considered an important indicator of a country’s social and economic development as one of the factors that dictate the quality of life of a citizen,” Co-Pilar said.
“The bill ensures that LGUs would benefit from housing development in their localities.”
“The bill ensures that LGUs would benefit from housing development in their localities, and that LGUs ideally could leverage the private sector´s balanced housing compliance to build socialized housing for low-income constituents,” she added.
The bill also seeks to reduce the development of unoccupied resettlement sites due to issues of accessibility, job security and basic services.
It would amend pertinent sections of Republic Act 7279, otherwise known as the “Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992,” as amended by RA 10884.
Amendments would include: addition of direct purchase and unsolicited proposals as modes of land acquisition for socialized housing; institutionalization of incentivized compliance as a mode of compliance to the balanced housing program; and simplification of requirements of local government units to hasten the delivery of housing units to their intended beneficiaries.
