CEBU CITY – A stakeholder in the real estate sector has urged the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) to be transparent and speed up housing project approvals.

Anthony Gerard O. Leuterio, president of A Better Real Estate Philippines (ABREP), asked the agency to avoid policy changes that could delay new developments and worsen the housing shortage.

Leuterio's call came after the DHSUD-Central Visayas denied delays in the issuance of license-to-sell (LTS) approvals.

He complained that delays in LTS approvals are slowing the delivery of new housing projects nationwide and limiting options for homebuyers, particularly overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

Leuterio said developers in major cities, including Cebu, Davao, Cagayan de Oro, General Santos, Bacolod, Dumaguete, Ormoc, and Metro Manila, have reported prolonged waiting periods for LTS approvals despite submitting complete requirements.

He said the centralization of LTS approval authority on the national level has created processing bottlenecks that are affecting developers' ability to launch pre-selling projects.

"The people suffering are not just corporations. They are small developers, community builders, and Filipino families waiting for homes," Leuterio said.

To improve accountability, he urged DHSUD to publicly disclose the number of LTS issued over the past six months, broken down by region, project category, and development type.

Leuterio raised concerns about what he described as regulatory changes being imposed on projects already under development. According to him, some developers are being required to comply with new rules after they have already secured financing, hired contractors, and committed to buyers.

He warned that policy shifts during project implementation could discourage investments and delay housing construction. "When projects stall, housing supply shrinks. When housing supply shrinks, prices rise," he said.

Leuterio said the impact extends beyond developers and brokers, affecting OFWs who often rely on pre-selling projects with longer payment terms as their most affordable route to homeownership. "When LTS approvals are delayed and new projects cannot legally be launched, these buyers lose their options," he said.

Leuterio, the 2024 Realtor of the Year, emphasized that housing is a major economic driver, generating demand for construction materials, appliances, utilities, banking services and employment across multiple industries.

He noted that real estate remains one of the largest sources of bank lending and supports a broad network of businesses and workers throughout the property value chain.

Leuterio cited estimates showing the country's housing backlog exceeded six million units in 2023 and could rise to 13 million by 2040 if current trends continue.

Given the scale of the housing deficit, he called for closer collaboration between government and the private sector to increase housing production while maintaining consumer protection standards.

"We do not ask for the removal of regulations. We ask for regulations that are fair, consistent, timely and developed with industry participation," he said.

Leuterio said the real estate sector remains ready to work with government agencies in expanding access to housing and addressing one of the country's most pressing social and economic challenges.