The proposed measure mandating onsite, in-city, near-city, or off-city relocation of informal settler families (ISFs) has been unanimously approved on third and final reading in the House of Representatives.
Also known as House Bill (HB) No.5, the measure gained third reading approval via vote line of 254-0-0 (yes-no-abstain) during plenary session Monday afternoon, Nov. 14.
Deputy Speaker and Davao City 3rd district Rep. Isidro Ungab, who presided over the session, was the one who announced the result following the nominal voting of the House members present.
The measure was mainly authored by House Speaker Martin Romualdez and Tingog Party-list Reps. Yedda Marie Romualdez and Jude Acidre. It seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) No. 7279, or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992.
In their explanatory note, the authors of HB No.5 said the bill would carry out a provision of the Constitution mandating the state to “undertake, in cooperation with the public sector, a continuing program of urban land reform and housing which will make available at affordable cost decent housing and basic services to underprivileged and homeless citizens in urban centers and resettlement areas".
“While the government has been providing resettlement sites to informal settler families, these sites have been mostly off-city. These do not provide employment opportunities and livelihood, as well as social services,” they said.
“As a result, many families are drawn back to the cities to find employment that would provide for their needs, ending up living again in informal settlements that are the embodiment of abject poverty, social exclusion and unsafe housing,” they pointed out.
They added that HB No. 5 seeks to address such issue, by providing for a local government-led onsite housing for ISFs and mandating that off-city relocation may be resorted to only when in-city or near-city resettlement is not feasible.
The bill calls for adequate consultation with the affected families.
“The bill also provides for social preparation activities for beneficiaries and the institutionalization of a people’s plan developed by beneficiary families in coordination with the implementing local government unit (LGU),” the authors said.
The measure defines in-city or onsite resettlement as a “relocation site within the jurisdiction of a local government unit where the affected informal settler families are living.”
“Near-city resettlement” refers to a site close to the original area where the affected ISFs live but within the jurisdiction of another LGU that is adjacent to the implementing LGU.
“Off-city” relocation, on the other hand, is a site developed outside and not adjacent to the implementing LGU.
Implementing LGUs may purchase land outside their jurisdiction for near-city or off-city housing.
LGUs are to implement the onsite, near-city, or off-city housing program for ISFs in partnership with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, National Housing Authority, National Home Mortgage Finance Corp., Home Development Mutual Fund, and Social Housing Finance Corp.