Press Release
July 24, 2012

Senate oks creation of Department of Housing and Urban Development

The Senate today approved on third and final reading the creation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development (DHUD) to lessen the housing backlog in the country.

Senate Bill 3199 was approved with 16 affirmative votes, 0 negative votes and 1 abstention. "The bill shall address the increasing demand for urban poor housing, regulate urban growth and prevent deterioration of the environment," Sen. Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr., chair of the Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement Committee, said.

Under the proposed measure, Marcos explained, the powers and functions of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) will be transferred to the DHUD. The HLURB shall also be converted into the Adjudication Commission for Housing, Land Use and Urban Development.

According to the bill, "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," the bill read.

The creation of DHUD will enable government to address needed problems through the formulation and implementation of the necessary reforms, sector policies and program interventions that will mobilize public and private resources and ensure their synchronization, Marcos said.

"The Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council has listed SBN 3199 as a priority bill because of our huge housing backlog. Statistics show that as of December, there are 580,000 families of informal settlers. Of that number, 105,000 families are living in disaster prone areas. So there is a urgent need to meet the housing backlog," Jose Cadiz, Legislative Officer of the Office of Sen. Marcos, said.

The bill was approved on second reading without amendments when the Senate adjourned its Second Regular session last June 6, 2012. (Olive Caunan, PRIB)

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