Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (Lakas-CMD) President Leyte 1st district Rep. Martin Romualdez is pushing for legislation granting a P3,500 monthly house rental subsidy to millions of homeless Filipinos officially dubbed informal settler families (ISFs).

Romualdez’s proposal is contained in House Bill (HB) No. 7230, of which Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre is also a principal author.

The measure is titled, “An Act establishing a rental housing subsidy program for informal settler families and appropriating funds therefor.”

Romualdez said the proposed Rental Housing Subsidy Program Act “shall provide social protection and support to ISFs in accessing the formal housing market under the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD)".

“It shall be made an option to address the temporary relocation of displaced families due to natural and man-made disasters,” said the former two-time House Speaker.

“Financial aid to low-income families or displaced individuals help afford decent housing in the rental market, acting as a flexible safety net when permanent solutions are not immediate. This gives better access to jobs/schools, and often serve as a bridge until permanent housing is available,” said the lawyer-solon.

In seeking financial assistance for homeless families, Acidre invoked a provision of the Constitution which mandates the State to provide “by law, and for the common good, 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 resettlements areas".

Acidre said HB No.7230 defines ISFs as “households living on a lot, whether private or public, without the consent of the property owner; or those without legal claim over the property they are occupying; or those living in danger areas such as esteros, railroad tracks, garbage dumps, riverbanks, shorelines, and waterways, as defined in Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 11201, otherwise known as the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Act".

“Rental housing subsidy” shall refer to the financial assistance provided by the government to pay for the temporary use or occupancy of a residential unit in the public and private rental housing market.

Acidre said the measure provides that eligible ISFs shall receive a rental subsidy of P3,500 for those living in Metro Manila.

For those living in other regions, Acidre said the rate shall be determined by the DHSUD and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), taking into consideration the prevailing minimum wage and rental rates per region, but not to exceed P3,500 per month. The financial aid shall not exceed the actual rent.

“The DHSUD and NEDA may revise the rates at any time, but not more often than once every two years, to conform with the prevailing economic conditions,” he said.

Rental subsidy shall be granted to eligible beneficiaries until the date of completion of the permanent housing project intended for them or upon their actual transfer to the permanent housing project, whichever comes first.

In case completion of the permanent housing project is delayed, the rental subsidy shall be extended, provided that the agency implementing the permanent housing project shall bear the cost of the extended financial assistance.

To qualify for the subsidy, homeless Filipinos must be ISFs as defined in the bill and vacate the informal settlement area presently being occupied and transfer to a safer and government-authorized area.