THE country’s worsening problem of homelessness and lack of access to shelter opportunities is envisioned to soon be addressed by the government, with the signing on Friday of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) for Republic Act (RA) 11201, or the “Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Act.”
At a news conference on the sidelines of the signing, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) Chairman Eduardo D. del Rosario said the measure will enable the estimated 81 percent of Filipinos —especially the unserved and underprivileged citizens—to be provided housing opportunities.
“This [the Act] was signed on February 14, the day of the heart, because of President Duterte’s love for the Filipino family. This is the President’s whole-hearted gift to 81 percent of Filipino families who wish to have a dream house of their own,” del Rosario said.
The IRR consolidates the functions of the HUDCC with the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) under the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), which was created by RA 11201 to manage housing, human settlements, as well as urban developments in the country.
“Since 1986, HUDCC and key shelter agencies, through the government’s shelter delivery system under Executive Order 19 fell short in addressing the country’s housing needs that is estimated to reach 6.57 million by 2022. And if not appropriately addressed, [it] will balloon to 22.6 million by 2040,” he added.
The IRR takes effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in two newspapers of general circulation, with the full implementation slated on January 1, 2020, following a transition period of about five months from the effectivity of the IRR.
“But HUDCC and the shelter agencies may not solely be blamed for the mounting housing needs and urban development problems,” del Rosario said. “Year in and year out the housing sector clamored for a bigger housing budget but unfortunately the housing sector technically received an average of only less than 1 percent of the country’s annual budget. But today, recognizing the need for structural changes and additional mandates, the country’s housing and urban landscape is up to a major transformation,” he said.
The transition period will allow the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Civil Service Commission (CSC) to approve new organizational structures and positions, and provide time for the transfer of personnel and assets, closing and opening of accounts, and the establishment of regional offices.
The new organizational structures is being eyed to be completed in September this year, according to del Rosario.
RA 11201 was passed in Congress on November 12, 2018, and signed into law by President Duterte on February 14 this year. The functions of the DHSUD involve policy-making, regulatory, as well as monitoring of the environmental land use, and urban planning and development; housing and real-estate development; and homeowners associations and community development.
The newly created government agency is tasked to identify government lands suitable for housing, as well as urban and rural development projects. The identification of government lands is to be undertaken jointly with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), Department of Agriculture (DA), Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), as well as the Land Registration Authority (LRA).
The law also reconstitutes HLURB into an independent quasi-judicial body called the Human Settlements Adjudication Commission, with the HSAC performing the HLURB’s adjudicatory functions over controversies involving real-estate development and sales to expedite the resolution of these cases.
The law also provides for a National Human Settlements Board (NHSB) to exercise policy-making powers over corporations attached to the DHSUD.
The regional offices set up by the DHSUD shall be a regional housing one-stop processing center that aims to streamline the processing of housing-related permits, clearances and licenses.
The DHSUD is also instructed to manage and oversee emergency post-disaster and shelter recovery, as well as climate- change adaptation and mitigation risk reduction interventions.
The IRR was signed by HUDCC Chairman Del Rosario, HLURB CEO Lloyd Christopher Lao, CSC Chairman Alicia dela Rosa-Bala, and DBM OIC Acting Secretary Janet B. Abuel. According to the IRR, the HUDCC chairman shall oversee the operations of the DHSUD until a department secretary is appointed by President Duterte and has assumed office.
Sen. Christopher Lawrence T. Go said in his opening remarks that he has already submitted the National Housing Development, Production and Financing bill in the Senate as one of his top bills, to make the dream of housing for every Filipino come true. He noted a 7-million housing backlog in the Philippines.
“I shall work hard to ensure that all initiatives, policies and plans of the President related to planning will have the optimum support of the Senate especially when it comes to the budget…. Naniniwala ako na dapat wala nang squatter dito sa ating bayan at wala nang pamilyang walang bahay [I believe there should be no squatter in our land, and no family should be homeless],” Go said.
https://businessmirror.com.ph/2019/07/22/irr-signed-for-law-on-dept-of-human-settlements/
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