House of Representatives gets title to 19-hectare Batasan property

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and National Housing Authority General Manager Chito Cruz sign a memorandum of agreement conveying the title to the 19-hectare Batasan property in Constitution Hills, Quezon City. MARC JAYSON CAYABYAB

The House of Representatives is no longer a squatter on its own land.

The House signed on Wednesday a memorandum of agreement with the National Housing Authority (NHA) for the conveyance of the land title to the 19-hectare (189,910 square meters) Batasan property.

The land on which the Batasan property is built in the past 40 years has been under the NHA since former President Ferdinand Marcos signed Proclamation No. 1826 in 1976 which reserved the parcel of land at Constitution Hills for government.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. expressed his gratitude that finally, the lower House was no longer squatting on its own land.

“When you have a title, laws protect that title. May vested interest ka na … Now, we’re not informal settlers anymore. May titulo na kami,” Belmonte said after the signing of the memorandum.

House Secretary General Marilyn Barua-Yap said the House under Speaker Belmonte would get its title of land for the first time after almost 40 years.

At the sidelines of the signing, NHA General Manager Chito Cruz said the House of Representatives did not shell out money for the granting of the title. Cruz estimated that each square meter cost P25,000 to P30,000.

“Ngayon, masasabi na natin na ang Batasan Pambansa ay hindi na informal settlers,” Cruz said during his speech while laughing.