Creation of one housing department awaiting President's signature

All housing agencies will be consolidated into one bureau once a bill seeking to create the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development is signed into law.

The Presidential Legislative Liaison Office (PLLO) had transmitted the proposed legislation, sponsored by Senator Joseph Victor Ejercito in the Senate, to Malacanang last January 16, 2019 for the President's signature.

Once the bill is signed into law, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development will combine the administrative functions of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and the planning and regulatory functions of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB).

Under the act, the adjudicatory function of the HLURB will be transferred to the Human Settlements Adjudication Commission (HSAC).

The National Human Settlements Board will exercise the powers and functions of the attached agencies regarding policy and program development.

"The creation of the department will serve as a response to the problem of divided agencies that is managed only by a council to better address the housing problems of the country," Ejercito said.

"The Department will act as the primary national government entity responsible for the management of housing and urban development. There will be a formulation and implementation of a more coherent and holistic plan for the housing sector," he added.

According to Ejercito, the Philippines is facing more than two million housing needs last year. The figure is projected to balloon to 6,571,387 by the end of 2022.

"What we need is one housing department with one board working towards one direction...creating the roadmap for housing and urban development, leading its implementation, setting the general direction for everyone and able to follow through each and every project with clear functions, policies, budget and financing," Ejercito said.

Once passed into law, the department's powers and functions include: inventory of idle lands, inventory of housing stocks and list of beneficiaries; providing technical assistance to provinces, cities and municipalities in building their capability to undertake housing and urban development and management; assisting the local government units in the utilization of the socialized housing tax and other sources of funds for housing which shall be exclusively used for new settlement projects; own and administer government-owned lands, whether owned by the national government or any of its subdivisions, intrumentalities or agencies, including government-owned or controlled corporations (GOCC) and their subsidiaries; formulate and prescribe land use planning and zoning standards and regulations for the guidance of cities and municipalities; develop and implement a comprehensive plan for the establishment of government centers in the country, among others.

Ejercito said the department would also be responsible for recommending new legislation and amendments to existing laws as may be necessary; promote, accredit and regulate the use of indigenous materials and technologies in the housing construction as well as open roads of subdivisions to the public when the general welfare requires it upon consultation with stakeholders.