EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
Second Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
S. No. 1767
DATS
TIME
N&EX
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE RENTAL HOUSING SUBSIDY PROGRAM, PROVIDING 
FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
As stated in the Philippine Development Plan 2017-2022, the country has a total 
housing need of approximately 6.80 million units, with a housing backlog of 2.02 
million as of December 2016. A huge number of this are households in "unacceptable 
housing," i.e. those living rent-free without consent of the owner, homeless, those in 
dilapidated or condemned structures, and those in marginal housing units. Moreover, 
as of 2011, there are 1.50 million informal sector families (ISFs) nationwide, almost 
40% of which are in Metro Manila.
However, socialized housing development programs are hampered by slow 
process of land acquisition, limited affordable land, problems in resettlement site 
development, among others. At times, informal settler families hesitate to move to 
resettlement areas due to lack of livelihood opportunities and inadequate access to 
basic services and utilities.
This bill proposes the creation of a rental housing subsidy program to provide 
direct financial aid to informal settler beneficiaries who are living in indecent, inhuman 
and unsafe shelters. The program is intended to allow them to Immediately and 
temporarily relocate into safe and suitable rental housing spaces, and assist them to 
ease into ownership of their own permanent housing units under the formal socialized, 
economic and low-cost housing mechanisms.


The measure is also consistent with on-site and in-city resettlement thrust of 
our housing programs, especially in relocating households affected by government 
infrastructure projects and natural calamities.
In this light, the immediate passage of this bill is hereby sought.
RAMOrftONG REVILLA, JR.


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
)
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
)
Second Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
S. No. 1767
TIME
INI^EX
Introduced by SENATOR RAMON BONG REVILLA, JR.
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE RENTAL HOUSING SUBSIDY PROGRAM, PROVIDING 
FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representative of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title.-l\\\s Act shall be known as the " Rental Housing Subsidy
2 
Program Act."
3 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to:
4 
(a) Promote a just, equitable, and inclusive urban development through
5 
programs providing adequate social services, broader housing options,
6 
livelihood and employment, and an improved quality of life for the Filipino
7 
people, especially the underprivileged;
8 
(b) Provide an innovative housing program providing affordable, livable, and
9 
decent housing, as well as access to basic social services, especially for the
10 
underprivileged;
11 
(c) Protect the urban poor from the impact of immediate dislocation due to
12 
eviction and demolition arising from government projects; and
13 
(d) Provide for options for interim housing for dislocated families due to natural
14 
and man-made disasters.
15 
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. -• For purposes of this Act, the following terms
16 
shall be understood to mean as follows:


1 
(a) Dislocation - refers to the state of being displaced from one place to
2 
another due to causes such as, but not limited to, eviction and demolition;
3 
(b) Informal Settler Beneficiary (ISB) — refers to underprivileged individuals or
4 
households who are in Immediate need of relocation and who are living
5 
under any of the following conditions:
6 
(1) Where the individual or household is living in a lot or dwelling unit
7 
without the consent of the legal owner of such lot or dwelling unit;
8 
(2) Where the individual or household is living in danger areas such as such
9 
as esteros, railroad tracks, garbage dumps, riverbanks, shorelines, and
10 
waterways, as determined by the Department of Human Settlements
11 
and Urban Development (DHSUD);
12 
(3) Where the individual or household is living In an area reserved or used
13 
for government infrastructure projects;
14 
(4) Where the individual or household is living in an area which is classified
15 
as a protected or forest area, except indigenous peoples;
16 
(5) Where the individual or household is living In an area declared as a
17 
priority development area under Proclamation No. 1967, series of 1980,
18 
as applicable;
19 
(6) Where the individual or household Is living on public lands, structures,
20 
or facilities not intended for human habitation; or
21 
(7) Where the individual or household is living on hazardous/high-risk
22 
areas or within danger zones of natural calamities, as identified by
23 
disaster risk reduction and management plans of local government
24 
units.
25 
(c) Rental Housing Subsidy - refers to the financial assistance provided by the
26 
government to rent accommodation in the private rental market, the
27 
amount which shall not exceed the rates as regulated under Republic Act
28 
No. 9653, otherwise known as the "Rent Control Act."
29 
Sec. 4. Rental Housing Subsidy Program. -A Rental Housing Subsidy Program,
30 
hereinafter referred to as the "Program," shall be established as a housing and social
31 
protection program with the end view of enabling ISBs to lead decent lives and
32 
supporting them in accessing the formal housing market. It shall be made an option


1 
to address the temporary relocation of displaced families due to natural and man-
2 
made disasters.
3 
Eligible beneficiaries shall receive a rental subsidy, the amount of which shall
4 
be determined by the DHSUD taking into consideration, among others, the prevailing
5 
rental rates in the concerned locality and the economic standing and potential of the
6 
family. The subsidy shall be a percentage of the total amount of rentals as determined
7 
by the rental or lease contract between the eligible beneficiary and the lessor, provided
8 
that for those eligible beneficiaries below the poverty threshold as determined by the
9 
Philippine Statistics Authority, the subsidy shall be at least 60% of the total amount of
10 
rentals.
11 
Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary, at any time but not more than
12 
once every two (2) years, subsidies given under the program shall be reviewed or
13 
revised to conform to prevailing economic conditions.
14 
Rental subsidy shall be granted to eligible beneficiaries for a maximum of five
15 
(5) years or upon their availment or acquisition of permanent housing, whichever
16 
comes first.
17 
Sec. 5. Eligibility- To be an eligible beneficiary under this Act, an individual or
18 
household must:
19 
(a) Live under any of the conditions under Sec. 3, paragraph b, of this Act;
20 
(b) Have a source of livelihood or have at least one (1) member of the
21 
household gainfully employed; and
22 
(c) Vacate the informal settlement area in which they are presently living and
23 
transfer or relocate to a safer area.
24 
Sec. 6. Conditions for Continued Entitlement or Eligibility. - All eligible
25 
beneficiaries shall comply with the following conditions for continued availment of the
26 
benefits under this Act:
27 
(a) The beneficiaries shall not move or relocate back to the area in which they
28 
were originally living in unless such move or relocation has been permitted
29 
by the proper government authorities taking into consideration the purpose
30 
of the program; and
31 
(b) The beneficiaries shall pay that portion of the rentals not subsidized under
32 
the program to the lessor.


1 
Beneficiaries who maintain good payment standings shall be prioritized as
2 
beneficiaries in government housing programs.
3 
Whenever possible, program applicants who enter into a written rent-to-own
4 
agreement with the lessor which will result In the eventual transfer of ownership of
5 
the particular dwelling in favor of the former shall also be considered.
6 
Sec. 7. Form of Payment - The rental subsidy shall be distributed by the
7 
DSHUD in such form as may be identified by the DHSUD to be most beneficial and
8 
appropriate for the beneficiaries.
9 
Sec. 8. Roles of Government Agencies. - The program shall involve the national
10 
government agencies and instrumentalities with the following roles:
11 
(a) The DHSUD shall:
12 
(1) Coordinate with housing agencies to formulate program targets and
13 
integrate these to the national housing policy;
14 
(2) Promulgate appropriate housing policies among the attached
15 
corporations of the DHSUD In line with the implementation of this
16 
program;
17 
(3) Enlist beneficiaries and their lessors for the program;
18 
(4) Set up monitoring and evaluation system, tools, exit strategy, and
19 
methodologies on compliance with conditions. Implementation, output,
20 
and impact assessments together with its attached agencies, the
21 
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the
22 
Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor (PCUP), and the local
23 
government units; and
24 
(5) Recommend to Congress measures for the proper and responsive
25 
implementation of this Act.
26 
(b) The National Housing Authority (NHA) shall:
27 
(1) Certify the eligibility of the beneficiaries under the program;
28 
(2) Coordinate with Infrastructure program implementing agencies,
29 
including but not limited to the Department of Public Works and
30 
Highways (DPWH) and the Department of Transportation (DOTr) for the
31 
identification of areas housing persons who are in need of Immediate
32 
resettlement;


1 
(3) Update the alphalist and socio-economic profiies of beneficiaries to be
2 
resettied as part of the National Resettlement Program; and
3 
(4) Design and conduct appropriate monitoring and evaluation of the
4 
implementation of this program, which shall include a grievance and
5 
redress system.
6 
(c) The Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) shall enroll the beneficiaries
7 
to the HDMF system so as to facilitate their entry into the formal housing
8 
market.
9 
(d) The DSWD shall design the social preparation activities, and form and
10 
conduct workshops and training programs to ensure that beneficiaries are
11 
aware of the benefits under the program, including the parameters and
12 
conditions for eligibility.
13 
(e) The PGUP shall:
14 
(1) Assist the DSWD in the design of social preparation activities,
15 
workshops, and training programs for beneficiaries;
16 
(2) Conduct social preparation activities with the local government units.
17 
(f) The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) shall
18 
provide skills training to beneficiaries.
19 
(g) The local government units shall:
20 
(1) Maintain a publicly accessible register of lessors in their respective areas
21 
of jurisdiction;
22 
(2) Assist the NHA In conducting census and tagging of ISBs in need of
23 
immediate resettlement;
24 
(3) Assist the DSWD and PGUP in conducting social preparation activities;
25 
(4) Contain the vacated areas of ISBs to help achieve the objectives of this
26 
program;
27 
(5) Assist the DSWD in monitoring and evaluating the implementation of this
28 
program; and
29 
(6) Conduct field valuation of beneficiaries and their respective lessors with
30 
DSWD in the rental housing units.
31 
Sec. 9. Additional Positions and Personnel for the DHSUD. - For purposes of
32 
this Act, the DHSUD shall, in accordance with pertinent civil service rules, create


1 
positions and enlist additional personnel to ensure the proper and appropriate
2 
implementation of the program under this Act.
3 
Sec. 10. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the effective
4 
implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current appropriations for the
5 
DHSUD. Thereafter, such amounts as necessary for its continued implementation shall
6 
be Included in the General Appropriations Act.
7 
Sec. 11. Inter-Agency Cooperation and Adoption of Simpiified Procedures. -
8 
The concerned government agencies shall endeavor to simplify the procedures for
9 
application, certification and release of subsidies to the beneficiaries. They shall also
10 
endeavor to create one-stop centers, a common location or single website/portal,
11 
which can receive and process applications, in accordance to Republic Act No. 11032
12 
otherwise known as the "Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service
13 
Delivery Act."
14 
Sec. 12. Impiementing Ruies and Reguiations. - The DHSUD, in coordination
15 
with relevant government agencies, shall issue rules, regulations, and guidelines
16 
necessary to carry out the intent and purposes of this Act within six (6) months from
17 
the date of effectivity.
18 
Sec. 13. Mandatory Review on the Impiementation of this Act. - The DHSUD
19 
shall submit to the Congress a report on the implementation of this program at the
20 
end of the second (2nd) year from the date of effectivity and every two (2) years
21 
thereafter.
22 
Sec. 14. Separabiiity Ciause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
23 
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision or part not otherwise
24 
affected shall remain valid and subsisting.
25 
Sec. 15. Repealing Ciause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive
26 
order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation contrary to or
27 
inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, modified, or amended
28 
accordingly.
29 
Sec. 16. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
30 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
31 
Approved,