The nationwide rollout of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr.’s Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program (4PH) received another boost with the promulgation of the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of Executive Order (EO) 34.

The IRR of EO 34 — the Order that declared the 4PH a flagship program and called for an inventory of idle government lands appropriate for housing —was released on 29 April and signed by Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Maria Antonia Loyzaga, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Benjamin Abalos Jr., and Land Registration Authority (LRA) Administrator Gerardo Sirios.

Under the IRR, the roles and responsibilities of the agencies were defined, with the DHSUD heading the requirement and collection of the detailed inventory of all available and suitable lands for housing and human settlements from national government agencies, government-owned and -controlled corporations and local government units (LGU).

DENR to provide data

Meanwhile, the DENR will provide the DHSUD with all available inventories or data on patrimonial properties, public and government lands, proclamations and reservations and relevant cadastral maps for inventory purposes.

The DILG, on the other hand, will support the DHSUD in coordinating with and mobilizing the LGUs for the implementation of the IRR, while the LRA will assist the involved agencies and entities in the preparation of their inventories by validating the list of titles that are registered in the name of the said agencies and entities.

The IRR likewise outlines the provisions for the licit and appropriate processes in land identification and inventory; issuance of certified true copies of land titles; acquisition of identified lands; compliance monitoring; manpower and resources; and project conceptualization, development and implementation.

Released late last year, EO 34 was branded as a pro-poor measure that could spell the difference in finally addressing homelessness in the country as it empowered the DHSUD’s rollout of the “Pambansang Pabahay.”