Wednesday, February 20, 2019

Duterte signs law creating Human Settlements dept

President Rodrigo Duterte signed into law a bill seeking to consolidate all housing agencies into a new Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development.

Duterte approved Republic Act 11201 on Feb. 14 – a copy of which was released by MalacaƱang on Tuesday.

The law orders the consolidation of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) to create the new department.

The new department would be the sole and main planning and policy-making, regulatory, program coordination, and performance monitoring entity for all housing and urban development concerns, and would primarily be focused on the access to and affordability of decent, and secure shelter.

Under the law, the department would be composed of the Office of the Secretary, three undersecretaries and assistant secretaries each, and the Bureaus of Environmental, Land Use, and Urban Planning and Development; Housing and Real Estate Development Regulation; and Homeowners Association and Community Development.

The department will also have administrative supervision over the National Housing Authority, National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation, Home Development Mutual Fund and Social Housing Finance Corporation.

The measure also orders the creation of a National Human Settlements Board to address housing policies and plans, as well as the transfer of the adjudicatory function of the HLURB to the Human Settlements Adjudication Commission.

Government data showed that in 2018 alone, there was a need for more than two million housing units. The figure was projected to balloon to 6,571,387 by the end of 2022.

The law takes effect 15 days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in any newspaper of general circulation. (With GMA News/PN)

https://www.panaynews.net/duterte-signs-law-creating-human-settlements-dept/

DPWH sets dry run for NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) is set to conduct a dry run today on the North Luzon Expressway (NLEX) Harbor Link Segment 10 from Karuhatan, Valenzuela City to the new Caloocan Interchange on C3 Road, Caloocan City.

The dry run will be led by DPWH Secretary Mark Villar along with Metro Pacific Tollways Corp. (MPTC) president Rodrigo Franco and NLEX Corp. president Luigi Bautista.

“The NLEX Harbor Link Segment 10 will be a traffic game changer since this will drastically cut travel time from Port Area to NLEX. Once opened, around 30,000 vehicles daily will be diverted away from busy roads in Metro Manila,” Villar said.

The DPWH official added that the elevated expressway would greatly benefit truckers and freight forwarders because their cargo trucks would be spared the truck ban and lead to faster delivery of goods to and from the provinces.

Villar said that in a recent study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, “traffic congestion in Metro Manila is costing the country P3.5 billion a day. This new road will be a big boost to our economy as billions of pesos will be saved annually with the improved travel time.”

Bautista said aside from connecting NLEX to key areas in Metro Manila, the segment “is seen to bring more opportunities in nearby communities such as generation of employment and increase in land values.”

Franco, on the other hand, said “Metro Pacific remains committed in supporting the government in its infrastructure projects to improve accessibility between airports, seaports, and growth corridors in both the north and south.”

https://www.philstar.com/nation/2019/02/20/1895066/dpwh-sets-dry-run-nlex-harbor-link-segment-10

Duterte signs into law measure creating Housing department

PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte signed a law creating the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development through the consolidation of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB).

Mr. Duterte signed Republic Act No. 11201, also known as the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Act, on Feb. 14. The law consolidates Senate Bill 1578 and House Bill 6775. The Senate and the House of Representatives passed their bills on Nov. 12 and Oct. 10, respectively.

Asked to comment after a briefing at the Palace, HUDCC Chairman Eduardo D. del Rosario told BusinessWorld that with this law, “we will have a more comprehensive determination on how we can address the housing needs of the people.”

The new department, according to the law, will act as the primary national government entity responsible for the management of housing, human settlement and urban development, which also means that it will formulate national housing and urban development policies, strategies and standards that are consistent with the Philippine Development Plan to promote social and economic welfare.

The department will be composed of the Office of the Secretary, and the various bureaus, services and regional offices. The law also said the Office of the Secretary will house the Office of the Department Secretary, the Offices of the Undersecretaries, the Offices of the Assistant Secretaries, and their immediate support staff.

Another function of the department is to formulate housing finance and production policies. — Arjay L. Balinbin

https://www.bworldonline.com/duterte-signs-into-law-measure-creating-housing-department/