PRESIDENT Duterte has signed into law Republic Act (RA) 11201 creating the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development; its goal is to address not only the many problems in the public housing sector but also improve the Filipinos’ quality of life.
This needs repeating: the new law is not just about building houses but improving the quality of life for our people. It is a good step towards the realization of providing affordable homes to Filipino families.
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development is mandated not only to regulate and establish housing standards, but also to build houses. It also has the authority to open subdivision roads when necessary to address traffic congestion, and establish Socialized Housing One-Stop Processing Centers in the regions which would facilitate the processing of public housing documents. Yes, the faster the housing documents are processed, the sooner more Filipino families will achieve their dream of having new homes they can call their own.
RA 11201 allows for a unified direction and consolidated efforts toward shelter delivery for Filipinos. It attaches five government housing corporations to the Department, but the law also mandates the Secretary of Housing to work with the Governance Commission for GOCCs to restructure these state firms: National Housing Authority, Home Guaranty Corporation, National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation, Home Development Mutual Fund, and Social Housing Finance Corporation. The new law also abolishes the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board. The HLURB would be reconstituted into the Human Settlements Adjudication Commission.
Among the main provisions of the measure is identification of idle government lands that will be used as in-city housing sites. Government lands that have been idle for years should be maximized and used for Filipino families who need housing that are close to their sources of livelihood.
Having a decent roof over one’s head is at the heart of the basic needs and aspirations of every Filipino.
