Ejercito pushes faster rollout of socialized housing

Senate Senior Deputy Majority Leader JV Ejercito is pushing a measure aimed at accelerating the delivery of socialized housing by making it easier for the government to identify and utilize land suitable for housing projects.

Co-sponsoring Senate Bill No. 1992 under Committee Report No. 54, which seeks to amend Republic Act No. 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act, Ejercito said the country's housing backlog cannot be addressed without resolving the persistent shortage of land for socialized housing.

"Mapapansin po natin ang nagtataasang condominium developments, ngunit hanggang ngayon, hindi pa rin po sapat ang housing security para sa mga ordinaryong Pilipino. Mungkahi po natin na kasabay ng pagdami ng condominium units at commercial establishments dito sa bansa, ay umaangat din ang bilang at accessibility ng socialized housing units," Ejercito said during his co-sponsorship speech.

"Para sa ating underprivileged sectors, kailangan natin ng angkop na lokasyon at mabilis, kalidad, at maaasahang housing production, upang maging abot-kamay sa mga Pilipino ang marangal na bahay at pamumuhay," he added.

The proposed measure requires local government units (LGUs) to regularly inventory lands within their jurisdictions and identify areas suitable for socialized housing in coordination with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), the National Housing Authority (NHA), the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA), and the Land Management Bureau.

The bill also mandates that identified housing sites be integrated into the Comprehensive Land Use Plans of LGUs.

Ejercito noted that while the DHSUD has already inventoried more than 30,000 hectares of government land, only a portion can be developed for housing.

"Due to legal and land-use restrictions, only about 30 percent is potentially suitable for housing. Hanggang ngayon, matapos ang higit isang dekada, ang kakulangan ng available na lupa ay nananatiling dahilan ng delays at pagbagal ng ating socialized housing production lalo na sa Metro Manila," he said.

Ejercito, the principal author and sponsor of the law creating the DHSUD, said Senate Bill No. 1992 seeks to establish a more practical and comprehensive system for identifying lands that can immediately be used for government housing programs.

"This measure does not solely focus on building houses, but rather prioritizes that socialized housing sites are suitable for residential development and are safe from natural hazards and disaster risks," he said.

The proposed legislation also requires that housing sites be selected based on their suitability for residential development, accessibility to basic services and employment opportunities, and resilience against natural hazards and disaster risks.

"Nais ko pong bigyang-diin na ang maunlad na bayan ay nagsisimula sa disente, ligtas, at makataong tahanan," Ejercito said.

He also called on concerned government agencies to speed up the implementation of affordable housing projects.

"Ipagpatuloy po sana natin pagtibayin at pabilisin ang production ng socialized housing units para maibigay natin, bilang mga lingkod-bayan, ang pangangailangan ng ating mamamayan," he said.