A bill seeking to prohibit the eviction of tenants during a declaration of a state of calamity or emergency is now being pushed in the Senate.

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian

Sen. Sherwin Gatchalian, in pushing for Senate Bill No. 1109, or the proposed “Rental Payment and Eviction Moratorium during Disasters and Emergencies Act,” said it is imperative to put a stop to abusive mortgage lending practices that ordinary Filipinos are struggling to address due to lack of affordable housing in the Philippines.

SB No. 1109, he said seeks a 30-day moratorium on rental payment and eviction of tenants during a declaration of a state of calamity or state of emergency.

If the covered period exceeds a total of sixty (60) days, the payment of the deferred fees, charges and costs shall be spread out for a six-month period of equal installments:

“This proposed measure aims to protect poor Filipino families from the adverse effects, as well as cushion the impact, of disasters and other emergencies through a 30-day moratorium on rental payment, reckoned from the termination of the state of calamity,” Gatchalian said in the explanatory note of the bill.

“Bearing in mind that depriving Filipinos of shelter right after the occurrence of disasters or emergencies will leave them more vulnerable, this bill, likewise, introduces a moratorium on eviction,” he said.

The lawmaker noted that the COVID-19 pandemic has opened eyes to the country's looming housing crisis while driving many Filipinos into financial hardships.

Evictions in informal communities have surged, endangering the health of displaced informal settlers struggling to find shelter, he pointed out.

“For years, ordinary Filipinos have struggled with severe lack of affordable housing, weak tenant protections, limited social or public housing, and inadequate housing, especially during the pandemic,” he said.

Also citing a Commission on Human Rights (CHR) study, Gatchalian said this highlights the gaps in the State's protection of the Filipino's right to housing which is evident in the rising homelessness and informal settlements in both urban and rural areas, and in the growing impoverished population in the Philippines.

“The mechanisms (in the bill) would give Filipinos affected by disasters enough time and breathing room to cope with the economic effects of such disasters and other emergencies,” the senator stressed.

The bill, he said, aims to have a clear and uniform policy in similar situations in the future, especially as disasters continue to hit the country.

If approved, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) will implement the provisions of the law.