Senate OKs bill creating housing department on second reading

MANILA, Philippines – The Senate on Wednesday approved on second reading Senate Bill 3199 which seeks to create the Department of Housing and Urban Development (DUHD).

“The bill shall address the increasing demand for urban poor housing, regulate urban growth and prevent deterioration of the environment,” Senator Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr., chair of the Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement Committee, said.

According to Marcos, under the proposed measure, the powers and functions of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board will be transferred to DHUD. The bill also states that “the functions of HUDCC and the planning and regulatory functions of HLURB will be under DHUD, which shall act as the primary national government entity responsible for the management of housing and urban development.”

“It shall be the sole and main planning and policy-making, regulatory, program coordination, and performance monitoring entity for all housing and urban development concerns, primarily focusing on the access to and affordability of the basic human needs,” according to the bill.

The HLURB will also be converted into the Adjudication Commission for Housing, Land Use and Urban Development.

According to Jose Cadiz, Legislative Officer of the Office of Senator Marcos, SB 3199 was marked by the Legislative-Executive Development Advisory council as a priority bill due to the large housing backlog. He noted that as of December 2011, there were 580,000 families of informal settlers, of which 105,000 families are living in disaster prone areas.

“So, there is an urgent need to meet the housing backlog,” Cadiz said.