on TIME:,
Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. Tut

Introduced by Representative Sharon S. Garin

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The movement of people across localities in the country has become one of the most
significant demographic processes currently driving socioeconomic structures and
activities, including human settlement arrangements, infrastructure development and
sociocultural changes in certain localities both in sending and receiving areas.

The congestion of population in highly urbanized areas likewise significantly affects
the resiliency of people and their communities in these localities specifically during
crisis situations. As the country currently experiences the unprecedented health crisis
due to the communicable COVID-19 virus, data have shown the vulnerability of
congested communities because of the lack of physical distancing and as exacerbated
by poor socioeconomic conditions.

Socioeconomic disparity across regions in the Philippines has become more
pronounced in recent years. In 2018, three highly urbanized regions: National Capital
Region (NCR), CALABARZON (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon; or Region
IVA), and Central Luzon (Region III) accounted for about two-thirds (62%) of the total
gross domestic product (GDP) of the entire country, while the remaining one-third was
shared by the rest of the 14 regions. This condition reflects a highly unequal and
inequitable socioeconomic development across regions in the country. With the
concentration of economic growth in highly urbanized regions, relatively poorer
regions are left out of national development. Interestingly, the heightened economic

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productivity in the three urbanized regions coincides with the high level of population
size in these areas.

Recognizing that population congestion in a certain locality enhances the vulnerability
of the poor families, women, children, older persons and adolescents to emerging
pandemic or epidemic and other crisis situations caused by other factors such as
natural disasters; and that congestion and crowding in highly urbanized areas is
primarily caused by unmanaged internal migration, the passage of this measure is
aims to:

1. attain equitable voluntary spatial distribution of its population and
strengthen resiliency of families and communities by nudging urban
population to return and be reintegrated in their areas of origin within the
context of informed choice and voluntarism;

2. influence population movement within the context of human rights and
sustainable and inclusive socioeconomic development;

3. attain an inclusive regional development to nudge population in rural areas
to stay and productively contribute to the development of their
communities; and

4. mitigate push factors in their home localities and support migrants who are

willing to return back and be reintegrated in their area of origin through
viable and sustainable socioeconomic opportunities and environment.

In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this measure is earnestly sought.

SHAR\ GARIN
AAMBI! Party-list


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 711

Introduced by Representative Sharon S. Garin

AN ACT
INSTITUTING A BALIK PROBINSYA PROGRAM AND OTHER STRATEGIC
INTERVENTIONS FOR MANAGING INTERNAL MIGRATION FOR INCLUSIVE
REGIONAL AND LOCAL DEVELOPMENT AND RESILIENT COMMUNITIES
DURING CRISIS SITUATIONS

Be enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

Section 1. Title. This Act shall be known as the "Balik Probinsya Program Act of
2020.”

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. The State shall guarantee and foster the
constitutional right of every Filipino to liberty of abode and of changing the same
within the limits prescribed by law and the right to travel except in the interest of
national security, public safety, or public health, as may be provided by law.

The State shall also foster and protect the right of individuals to sustainable and
inclusive development and shall continuously build their capacities to increase their
share in the fruits of socioeconomic progress ensuring that no one is left behind.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. For purposes of this Act, the following terms and
concepts shall have their corresponding meanings:

(a) Highly urbanized cities — refers to cities or localities with at least 200,000
inhabitants and with an annual income of at least 50 million pesos based on
1991 constant prices, as certified by the city treasurer.


(b)

©

(d)

(e)

10)

(9)

(h)

10)

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Inclusive development — refers to the development or economic growth
distributed fairly and equitably across society and which creates opportunities
for all (Organization of Economic Co-operation for Development [OECD]);

Internal migration — refers to a form of geographic or spatial mobility of people
involving a change of usual residence within a country (region, province,
municipality, city) during a specified period of observation (PSA, 2017);

Migrant — pertains to the person who moved from one geographic or political
area to another involving a change in usual residence during a specified period
of observation (PSA, 2017);

Migration - the form of geographic or spatial mobility of people involving a
change of usual residence between clearly defined geographic or political units
(such as country, region, province, city or municipality) during a specified
period or observation for a reason such as economic, social, political and
cultural (PSA, 2017);

Population management — refers to interventions that aim to attain population
outcomes (e.g. population size, age-sex composition, and spatial distribution)
that are consistent and facilitative of socio-economic development;

Reintegration — refers to the process of integrating someone back into society
or community where he/she originally belong;

Return migration — pertain to the voluntary and involuntary return of migrants
or people to their place of origin;

Spatial distribution of population — refers to the dispersion or distribution of
population in certain geographic or administrative areas;

Sub-urban areas - is a mixed-use or residential area, existing either as part of
acityorurban areaor as a separate residential community
within commuting distance of a city.

Section 4. Instituting and Implementing an Integrated and Sustainable Balik
Probinsya Program. There shall be a Balik Probinsya Program which generally aims
to reduce the vulnerability of congested urban localities especially during pandemic
and crisis situations and consequently promotes more equitable population spatial
distribution and regional socioeconomic development. It shall have the following
specific objectives:

(a)

facilitate and promote return migration or reintegration of urban population
to their area or origin to prevent congestion in highly urbanized areas and
mitigate their vulnerability to pandemic and other crisis situations;


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(b) establish mechanisms for viable and sustainable reintegration of migrants or
families from urban areas into their area of origin or into relocation
communities outside highly urbanized areas which shall include access to
livelihood, employment, housing and human settlement and social services
and maintaining a desirable degree of quality of life;

(©) engage and establish collaborative framework for effective cooperation and
partnership between and among public and private institutions to support the
establishment and sustainability of mechanisms and communities for viable
and effective reintegration of migrants or urban residents; and

(qd) institute and implement other effective strategies for mitigating the
vulnerabilities of congested localities during crisis situations caused by
epidemic or natural disasters.

Section 5. Balik Probinsya Program Strategies. The Balik Probinsya Program shall
prioritize socioeconomically poor families in the highly urbanized cities who are willing
to return to their province of origin. The program shall be implemented as an
integrated population management and socioeconomic development strategy.

The reintegration strategy shall be pursued through: a) voluntary return of individuals
and families to their area of origin or, b) systematic voluntary relocation of
beneficiaries to @ built-up human settlement or communities with sustainable living
and working environment with consent and well-coordinated planning with host
localities.

The Program shall have the following specific strategies or program components:

(a) Provision of financial and logistics support for transportation and
physical transfer of urban residents to areas of origin or sub-urban
communities. This shall include the provision of necessary support to
facilitate the physical transfer of individuals and/or families to areas of origin
or sub-urban communities identified as relocation site.

(b) Provision of conditional cash transfer or subsidies for the transition
period. All individuals and families qualified and enrolled in the Program shall
be provided with conditional cash transfer for their survival and adjustment
until they are fully reintegrated in their new communities. Subsidies may be
in the form of cash payouts or food or cash for work programs.

(©) Ensuring access to education, health, and other social services.
Mechanisms to link and ensure access of program beneficiaries to education,
health, and other basic social services in the communities into which they shall
be reintegrated shall be established and sustained. Financial and technical
support to host or receiving local government units (LGUs) shall be provided


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(d)

(e)

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for this purpose. Such services shall then be eventually integrated in local
development strategies.

Ensuring livelihood and employment opportunities and subsidies.
Subsidies for livelihood and support to employment or income generating
activities shall be provided to beneficiaries. Arrangements for this shall be
made prior to relocation to ensure that the target beneficiaries shall not be
prompted to return to the cities. Subsidies of livelihood and employment may
include, but not limited to, financial loans for micro or small-scale enterprise
or business or livelihood activities that are implemented in a systematic and
effective manner. This shall also be pursued through partnership and
collaboration between LGUs and private business institutions within the
relocation area.

Construction of viable local communities, economies, and human
settlements for relocation of poor families from the cities. An
integrated and sustainable human settlement program for Balik Probinsya
beneficiaries shall be developed and implemented. Such human settlement
strategy shall be integrated within the mainstream of socioeconomic
development within the host locality such that access to livelihood and
economic opportunities, social services (i.e. health, education, nutrition, and
similar services), cultural development, and other services that are needed for
integrated human development shall be ensured. Priority relocation sites shall
be in the suburban areas to maintain its linkage with the cities for its
interdependent economic support. Financial support, incentives, and technical
assistance to LGUs participating in the relocation and human settlement
program for beneficiaries from the cities shall be provided with adequate
financial appropriation.

Addressing the push factors of internal migration to the cities and
urban areas. To address the root causes and factors that push people to
migrate to the cities, a long-term intervention such as integrated population
management and poverty reduction strategy shall be instituted and
implemented. This shall include the intensive implementation of family
planning program among the poor to reduce intergenerational poverty,
interdependent urban-rural development particularly to support agricultural
development in the rural areas, and evidence-based regulation of internal
migration and settlements especially in hazardous areas in the cities.

Setting-up of a Regional and Provincial Balik Probinsya Centers. A
Balik Probinsya Center shall be set-up and sustained to provide information
and necessary referral services to beneficiaries and prospective migrants and
other stakeholders. The Center shall be set-up and operated by regional and
provincial local population offices in the country.


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(h)  Setting-up an internal migration information or registry system. An
administrative information system that tracks population movement at the
barangay or community level shall be established and used for the Balik
Probinsya and other relevant interventions including the development of crisis
response mechanisms. This internal information system shall have the
capability to register in- and out-migrants within the community which shall
be protected with existing policies and laws on data privacy.

Section 5. Equitable Redistribution of Socioeconomic Activities and Development.
National and regional socioeconomic and infrastructure planning shall review current
policies and strategies to ensure that economic activities are equitably distributed
across regions and localities. Based on local zoning policies and existing development
spatial strategies, areas and strategies for economic development shall be planned
and properly distributed across localities within the province, region, and country.
Incentive and support mechanism to businesses and participating private institutions
shall be provided.

Section 6. Incentive System for Relocation of Investments to Countryside or
Suburban Areas. To motivate the private sector to relocate their investments in the
countryside and suburban areas there shall be an incentive system for participating
institutions such as, but not limited to tax rationalization, financial subsidies, and other
administrative support for viable busines and economic enterprises and investments;

Section 7. National and Regional Balik Probinsya Medium-Term Action Plan. A
national and regional Balik Probinsya inter-agency and multisectoral medium-term
plan shall be formulated to guide the implementation of various component strategies
of the program at various levels. The plan shall be integrated as part of the Regional
and Provincial Development Plans and approved by the concerned Provincial Governor
and Sanggunian Panlalawigan. Implementation will be managed by the provincial and
city governments and to be supported by local population offices.

Section 8, Interagency Committee for the Balik Probinsya Program. To plan and
ensure the implementation of the Balik Probinsya Program, the existing Board of
Commissioners of the Commission on Population and Development (POPCOM)
consisting of the following members and per Presidential Decree (PD) No. 79, PD 1204
and Executive Order 160 shall be mobilized as an interagency committee for the
program:

(a) The Secretary of the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)

as the Chairperson;
(b) The Secretary of the Department of Social Welfare and Development
(Dswo);
(©) The Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government
(DILG);

(a) The Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH);
(e) The Secretary of the Department of Agriculture (DA);


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(f) The Secretary of the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR);

(g) The Secretary of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI);

(h) The Secretary of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)’

(i) The Secretary of the Department of Education (DepEd);

(j) The Secretary of the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH);

(k) The Director of the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPPI);
and

(1) Three (3) private sector representatives.

The following relevant agencies shall be new members of the POPCOM Board of
Commissioners with voting rights:

(a) The Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(DENR);

(b) The Secretary of the Department of Human Settlement and Urban
Development (DSHUD);

(c) The Secretary of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM);

(d) The Chief Minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region of Muslim
Mindanao;

(e) The Chairperson of the Metro Manila Development Authority (MMDA); and

The following shall likewise serve as ex-officio member of the BOC during meetings
related to the implementation of this Act:

(a) The Executive Director of the Commission on Population and Development
(POPCOM).
(b) Chairpersons of the following Congressional Committees
1. Senate Committee on Health and Demography;
2. Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement;
3. HOR Committee on Housing and Urban Development; and
4. HOR Committee on Population and Family Relations.

Other relevant agencies shall be invited as resource persons as needed. A Technical
Working Group shall likewise be created consisting of designated technical staff from
the agency members to provide technical support to the Committee.

The POPCOM shall continue to provide Secretariat support to the interagency
committee for the program. For this purpose, the POPCOM shall determine the
necessary additional staffing complement needed for the implementation of the
Program and shall be integrated in their annual budget.

Section 9. Additional Functions of the POPCOM Board of Commissioners. For
purposes of this Act, the POPCOM Board of Commissioners, in addition to their
functions under PD 79 and other relevant issuances, shall perform the following roles
and functions:


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(a) Provide overall policy and technical guidance and direction in the
implementation of the strategies of the Balik Probinsya Program;

(b) Define the role and responsibilities of member agencies in the
implementation of this Act and deputize other relevant agencies, as
necessary;

(c) Steer the formulation and implementation of the national, regional, and
provincial Balik Probinsya Action Plan;

(d) Generate and mobilize needed resources for the implementation of the
program;

(e) Resolve emerging policy and program issues and concerns; and

(f) Recommend policies to the executive and legislative department for the
enhancement of the program.

Section 10. Authority to Receive Donations and/or Grants. - The POPCOM is hereby
authorized to accept grants, contributions, donations, endowments, bequests, or gifts
in cash, or in kind from local and foreign sources in support of the development and
implementation of Balik Probinsya plan and strategies: Provided, That in case of
donations from foreign governments, acceptance thereof shall be subject to prior
clearance and approval of the President of the Philippines upon recommendation of
the Secretary of Foreign Affairs: Provided, further, That such donations shall not be
used to fund personal services expenditures and other operating expenses of the
Commission.

Section 11. Funding Allocation for Balik Probinsya Program.- All relevant
government agencies and local government units (LGUs) shall allocate from their
annual appropriation adequate funds for the formulation, development and
implementation of relevant strategies and activities to support the implementation of
this Act. The Balik Probinsya Program shall be funded through Program Convergence
Budgeting (PCB) to ensure complementation of agency activities. The PCB process
shall be coordinated by NEDA through POPCOM.

Section 11. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee. — There is hereby created a
Joint Congressional Oversight Committee to monitor the implementation of this Act.
The Oversight Committee shall be composed of five (5) Senators and five (5)
Representatives to be appointed by the Senate President and the Speaker of the House
of Representatives, respectively. The Oversight Committee shall be co-chaired by a
Senator and a Representative to be designated by the Senate President and the
Speaker of the House of Representatives, respectively. Its funding requirement shall
be charged against the appropriations of Congress.

Section 12. Annua/ Report. — The POPCOM shall submit to the President and to both
Houses of Congress, not later than March 30 of every year following the effectivity of
this Act, or upon the request of the Congressional Oversight Committee, a report
giving a detailed account of the status of the implementation of this Act, a progress
report on the implementation of the National Balik Probinsya Plan and recommend
legislation, where applicable and necessary. Regional and Provincial/City Population


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Offices shall submit annual progress reports on the implementation of their respective
action plans to POPCOM within the first quarter of the following year.

Section 13. Implementing Rules and Regulations. The expanded POPCOM Board of
Commissioners, in consultation with other relevant agencies and stakeholders from
public and private sector, shall formulate and issue within one hundred twenty (120)
working days upon the effectivity of this Act, the necessary rules and regulations for
the effective implementation of this policy.

Section 14. Appropriations. - The sum of One Billion Pesos (Php1,000,000,000.00)
is hereby appropriated as initial operating fund. The sum shall be sourced from the
appropriate sources. Thereafter, the amount necessary to effectively carry out the
provisions of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

Section 15. Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, orders, ordinances, rules and
regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.

Section 16. Separability Clause. If any provision of this Act is declared
unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, the validity of the other provisions shall not be
affected thereof.

Section 17. Effectivity. This shall take effect fifteen (15) days after publication in at
least 4 two (2) newspapers of general circulation.