FINDING ANSWERS Former Senator
Atty. Joey Lina The intention of the Marcos Jr. administration to build a million homes a year is deemed ambitious, considering the many challenges especially on funding. But if quite successful, it would certainly be a solid and highly significant legacy of our country’s 17th president. Building six million homes through the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program until the administration steps down in 2028 is lofty, yet possible if RA 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA), as amended by RA 10884 which redefines socialized housing by including residential condominium units in the types of housing projects for the poor, is fully implemented. The landmark legislation called UDHA is often referred to as the Lina Law after I principally authored it in 1992 when I was senator. Sadly, while UDHA clearly provides the mechanism for affordable housing, no administration has ever taken the cudgels to implement socialized housing as a legacy program. Consequently, three decades since the law was passed and ought to be implemented fully by local government units, cities have grown unaided by proper urban planning, congested squatter communities have proliferated, resulting in an enormous and highly problematic social housing shortage which currently stands at around 6.5 million units. Subhuman conditions still characterize the lives of millions of our countrymen forced to live amid squalor and disease on government and private lands, or in danger areas like shorelines, riverbanks, esteros, and in landslide-prone areas. Urban blight has gotten so bad that at the 2012 UDHA national conference held at the Manila Hotel and organized by the Philippine Federation of Real Estate Service Professionals, Inc. (PFRESPI), a manifesto — signed by landowners, developers, real estate practitioners, and officials of financing institutions and national agencies concerned with housing — was issued. The manifesto was titled “Manila Declaration: Let us get LGUs to do their job properly and fully implement R.A. 7279.” “Housing remains an elusive dream despite the initial euphoria (when UDHA became law in 1992). The poor had high hopes and many participated in the national registration in 1994 and other sectors expected professional squatters and syndicates to be neutralized and contained. However, new illegal structures continue to sprout with impunity, seemingly with the knowledge or tolerance of barangay officials and local government executives,” the manifesto read. LGUs are required to be also at the forefront of UDHA implementation. Within a year from the law’s passage in 1992, all city and municipal governments were supposed to identify and register beneficiaries, and conduct an inventory of all lands within their localities. After inventory, LGUs were supposed to “identify lands for socialized housing and resettlement areas for the immediate and future needs of the underprivileged and homeless in the urban areas, taking into consideration the degree of availability of basic services and facilities, their accessibility and proximity to job sites and other economic opportunities, and the actual number of registered beneficiaries.” UDHA’s Section 30, Article 7 on prohibition of new illegal structures states that the LGU head “who allows, abets or otherwise tolerates the construction of any structure in violation of this section shall be liable to administrative sanctions under existing laws and to penal sanctions (up to six years imprisonment) provided for in this Act.” Urban renewal and addressing the needs of the homeless poor as provided in the Constitution are UDHA’s primary objectives. Yet 20 years since becoming law, it’s as if it never existed. But hope springs eternal. And there’s new hope with the efforts of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), created by RA 11201 in 2019 and now led by Sec. Jose Rizalino “Jerry” Acuzar. To boost the efforts of the DHSUD, President Marcos could direct the country’s town mayors, city mayors, governors, and barangay chairmen to fully implement RA 7279 and RA 10884. As mandated by law, the DHSUD can “develop and establish a sector performance monitoring and assessment mechanism to accurately and independently report on the performance of national government agencies and LGUs involved in the housing and urban development.” But there’s no denying that the acute lack of funds to implement the administration’s housing program is a tremendous challenge. Sec. Acuzar told the Senate that his department sought a budget allocation of ₱95 billion for 2023, but the DBM allowed only ₱3.95 billion or around half of the DHUSD ₱7.61 billion budget for this year. But housing funds could be raised by LGUs through real estate taxes. Many LGUs like Quezon City, for instance, have allocated certain proceeds from property taxes to be used for socialized housing. While UDHA seeks to reduce homelessness, the long-term goal should be development of the countryside, and creation of jobs is the ultimate solution. The root cause of homelessness is poverty due to joblessness. Without jobs, there’s no income. And if there’s no income, there’s no purchasing power to afford decent housing. But if LGUs excel in their roles, with support from national government and private sector, the dreams of millions of homeless poor Filipinos could be a reality. E-mail: [email protected]