Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 3393 
Introduced by Representative Ma. Victoria Co-Pilar 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The "Sustainable Cities and Communities Act" directly contributes to solving the housing 
backlog by embedding the right to decent and affordable housing within a broader 
framework of sustainable and inclusive urban development. Through principles like 
spatial justice and urban renewal, and by establishing specific targets for reducing the 
urban population living in slums, the bill provides a clear policy direction and mechanism 
for addressing the housing crisis. Its emphasis on community participation ensures that 
housing solutions are not only effective but also aligned with the needs and priorities of 
the most vulnerable and marginalized sectors of society. 
While the bill's scope is broad, it directly addresses the housing backlog through several 
key provisions and guiding principles: 
Spatial Justice: The principle of "spatial justice" is a cornerstone of this proposed 
legislation. It mandates that urban development must provide vulnerable and 
marginalized sectors with access to safe, adequate, and affordable housing under various 
tenurial arrangements. The bill gives priority to on-site resettlement to prevent forced 
evictions, displacement, marginalization, and gentrification. This approach ensures that 
urban development is equitable and that housing is provided where it is needed most, 
without uprooting communities. 
Urban Renewal and Slum Upgrading: The bill promotes "urban renewal" as a guiding 
principle, which explicitly includes "slum upgrading to improve housing, infrastructures 
and services". This provision directly targets informal settlements, which are a major 
component of the housing backlog. By improving blighted urban areas, the Act seeks to 
provide better living conditions and formal housing solutions for residents of these 
communities. 
Participatory Urban Governance: The Act emphasizes "participatory urban 
governance" to involve inhabitants in urban policy and planning. This includes the 
formulation, implementation, and monitoring of urban policies, as well as the budgeting 
of urban programs. The bill specifically mentions promoting transparency, effectiveness, 
and inclusiveness in the engagement of a diverse set of inhabitants and their 
organizations, especially "urban poor and marginalized groups". By giving these groups a 
August 7, 2025
3:51 pm


voice in planning, the bill ensures that housing solutions are developed with the input of 
those most affected by the housing backlog. 
Targets and Indicators for Slum Population: The bill outlines specific targets and 
indicators to guide the development of sustainable cities. One of the key targets is "Urban 
population living in slums - measured in terms of proportion of urban population living 
in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing". This direct measurement shows 
the bill's commitment to tracking and reducing the number of people living in these 
conditions, providing a clear metric for progress in addressing the housing backlog. 
Urban Planning and Development: The Department of Human Settlements and Urban 
Development (DHSUD) is tasked with providing technical assistance to LGUs to integrate 
the Act's provisions into their various plans, including their Annual Development Plans, 
Comprehensive Land Use Plans, and Development Master Plans. This ensures that 
sustainable and inclusive urban development, which prioritizes housing, is at the 
forefront of local government planning. 
In line with the constitutional mandate for urban land reform and housing, the State aims 
to provide underprivileged and homeless citizens with decent and affordable housing, 
access to basic services, and adequate employment opportunities. The bill recognizes the 
collective "right to the city" for all inhabitants, which includes access to sustainable 
resources, meaningful participation in urban planning, and social inclusion. 
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. 3393 
Introduced by Representative Ma. Victoria Co-Pilar 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND COMMUNITIES 
IN THE COUNTRY  
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:  
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Sustainable Cities and 
Communities Act”.  
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. – The State shall, pursuant to the constitutional 
mandate to undertake a continuing program of urban land reform and housing which will 
make available to underprivileged and homeless citizens decent and affordable housing, 
access to basic services, and adequate employment opportunities, and in consonance 
with the constitutional guarantees on social justice, general welfare, public health, and 
ecological balance, recognize the right to the city of all which encompasses the collective 
access to sustainable resources, meaningful participation in urban planning and 
governance, and social inclusion.  
It is likewise declared the policy of the State to promote inclusive, resilient, and 
sustainable urban development.  
To these ends, the State shall ensure the inclusive use of urban space for housing 
and livelihood, improve access to basic services, develop integrated public transportation 
systems and green infrastructures, protect ecosystems, and manage risks to climate 
change and disasters.  
Further, the State shall pursue programs to celebrate diversity and cultural 
heritage, foster creativity, innovation, and participation in urban planning and policy-
making, and maintain public order and safety through the prevention of crime, violence 
and discrimination.  
SEC. 3. Coverage. – All cities and municipalities, with a majority of barangays 
classified as urban by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), hereinafter referred to as 
urban areas, are hereby mandated to align their plans, programs and activities towards 
the full implementation of this Act.  


SEC. 4. Guiding Framework for Sustainable Cities and Communities. – To fulfill 
its economic, political and social functions, a local government unit covered under this 
Act shall conform with and implement plans, programs and activities, guided by 
Ambisyon 2040, the Philippine Standards for Sustainable Cities and Communities, and 
the following guiding principles:  
(a) Inclusive urban circular economy which creates decent jobs with fair wages; 
supports entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation; ensures safe and non-
discriminatory working environments; and promotes resource-efficient industries and 
consumption;  
(b) Spatial justice which promotes multiple use of land to prevent forced evictions, 
displacement, marginalization, and gentrification; and ensures that urban development 
provides vulnerable and marginalized sectors the access to safe, adequate and affordable 
housing under different tenurial arrangements, giving priority to on-site resettlement, as 
well as universal healthcare, accessible education, adeguate infrastructures, sustainable 
livelihoods, food security and nutrition; and safe and inclusive public spaces that foster 
social cohesion; 
(c) Urban renewal which includes slum upgrading to improve housing, 
infrastructures and services; urban greening, including the promotion of urban 
agriculture for food security and communal wellness; and the development of inclusive, 
safe, accessible and enjoyable open spaces and parks;  
(d) Urban mobility and connectivity which provides for inclusive, safe, accessible, 
affordable, efficient and sustainable public transportation through the development of 
adequate transportation infrastructures, utilities and intermodal transportation systems, 
including non-motorized modes of transportation to strengthen global and urban-rural 
linkages and management;  
(e) Digital connectivity through the establishment and maintenance of 
information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and fast, secure, stable, 
and affordable internet connectivity to strengthen global and urban-rural linkages;  
(f) Urban safety which ensures freedom of all persons, regardless of gender, age, 
health status, income, nationality, ethnicity, and political, religious or sexual orientation 
from crimes and all forms of violence and discrimination in the workplace and public 
spaces; 
(g) Ecological balance which requires the sustainable management of natural 
resources; protection and conservation of biodiversity, natural ecosystems and 
landscapes; proper waste management and sanitation; provision of green 
infrastructures; and the development and use of renewable energy sources in 
transportation, industry and households to reduce carbon footprint and improve water 
and air quality;  
(h) Disaster resilience and climate change adaptation by capacitating urban areas 
to adapt to and manage threats and risks posed by climate change and disasters upon the 
citizenry, especially vulnerable groups, and to facilitate post-disaster rehabilitation and 
recovery; 


(i) Cultural diversity which respects, protects, and promotes the diverse 
livelihoods, customs, memory, identities, expressions, and sociocultural forms of its 
inhabitants; the preservation of tangible cultural heritage, such as artistic creations, 
historical sites and monuments; and safeguards intangible cultural heritage, such oral 
traditions, performing arts, indigenous knowledge and traditional skills, as well as the 
instruments, objects, artifacts and cultural spaces associated therewith; 
(j) Participatory urban governance which involves political participation in the 
formulation, implementation, and monitoring of urban policies, and the budgeting of 
urban programs to promote transparency, effectiveness, and inclusiveness in the 
engagement of a diverse set of inhabitants and their organizations, especially of urban 
poor and marginalized groups, upholding communal spirit and supporting community-
building; and  
(k) Alignment of economic, social, and environmental policies between and among 
national, regional, city, and municipal government units, facilitating the achievement of 
the goals of each unit.  
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), in 
consultation with relevant government agencies, local government units, civil society 
organizations, the private sector and the academe, within 180 days from the effectivity of 
this Act, harmonize existing national housing and urban development plans with this Act 
and formulate, in coordination with the Department of the Interior and Local Government 
(DILG), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), and the PSA, a 
National Housing and Urban Development Sector Plan (NHUDSP) to operationalize the 
goals of this Act, taking into consideration the unique and evolving economic, social and 
institutional contexts of the country.  
The NHUDSP shall provide short, medium, and long-term strategic plans to 
achieve the goals of this Act. 
The NHUDSP shall also generate estimates and projections to determine present 
and future demand for infrastructures and services in urban areas, and shall identify 
policy and program interventions to address challenges to sustainable urban 
development, and specific periodic targets and indicators and investment requirements 
thereof.  
SEC. 5. Targets and Indicators. – In preparing the NHUDSP, the DHSUD, NEDA, 
DILG, and the PSA shall be guided by the principles provided under Section 4 of this Act, 
as well as the targets and indicators set forth in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable 
Development and the New Urban Agenda of the United Nations:  
(a) Urban population living in slums - measured in terms of proportion of urban 
population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing; 
(b) Public transport access - measured in terms of proportion of population that 
has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age, income group, and persons with 
disability;  


(c) Sustainable urbanization rates - measured in terms of ratio of land 
consumption rate to population growth rate;  
(d) Urban planning and management - measured in terms of proportion of cities 
with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban planning and management 
that operate regularly and democratically;  
(e) Protecting cultural heritage - measured in terms of total public and private 
expenditure per capita spent on the preservation, protection and conservation of all 
cultural and natural heritage;  
(f) Deaths and injuries from disasters - measured in terms of number of deaths, 
missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 
population;  
(g) Economic losses from disasters - measured in terms of direct economic loss in 
relation to global gross domestic product, damage to critical infrastructure and number 
of disruptions to basic services, attributed to disasters;  
(h) Solid waste management - measured in terms of proportion of urban solid 
waste regularly collected and with adequate final discharge out of total urban solid waste 
generated;  
(i) Urban air quality - measured in terms of the annual mean levels of fine 
particulate matter;  
(j) Open spaces in cities - measured in terms of average share of the built-up area 
of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with disability;  
(k) Safe spaces in cities - measured in terms of proportion of persons who are 
victims of physical or sexual harassment, by sex, age, persons with disability, and place of 
occurrence, in the previous 12 months;  
(l) Urban and regional planning - measured in terms of proportion of population 
living in cities that implement urban and regional development plans integrating 
population projections and resource needs, by size of city;  
(m)Integrated disaster risk management - measured in terms of adoption and 
implementation of national disaster risk reduction strategies;  
(n) Local disaster risk management - measured in terms of adoption and 
implementation of local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster 
risk reduction strategies;  
(o) Urban economy - measured in terms of percentage of the labor force in the 
education and Research and Development sectors, and unemployment rate and number 
of businesses;  
(p) Innovation-geared education - measured in terms of the number of Science, 
Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics higher education degree programs being 
offered by an educational institution in the city;  


(q) Use of renewable energy - measured in terms of percentage of consumed 
energy from renewable sources;  
(r) Universal healthcare - measured in terms of number of in-patient hospital beds 
and physicians;  
(s) Food security - measured in terms of percentage of city budget spent on 
initiatives on urban agriculture;  
(t) Water and wastewater management - measured in terms of water consumption 
per capita, percentage of households with access to basic water supply, percentage of 
treated wastewater that is reused;  
(u) Access to ICT services - measured in terms of proportion of population that has 
access to fast, secure, stable, and affordable internet services to cater and accommodate 
online or digital transactions or services necessary for the conduct of daily activities in 
the modern society; and 
(v) Such other targets and indicators as determined by DHSUD, NEDA, DILG, and 
PSA consistent with the principles that guide sustainable cities and communities as 
provided in Section 4 of this Act: Provided, That at any time, but not more than once every 
five years, such targets and indicators may be reviewed or revised as the need arises to 
conform to changes and new developments brought about by the latest trends in 
institutionalizing sustainable cities and communities.  
SEC. 6. Urban Planning and Development. – The DHSUD shall, in coordination 
with NEDA, DILG, and Department of Public Works and Highways, provide technical 
assistance to local government units in the integration of the pertinent provisions of this 
Act, the National Urban Development and Housing Framework, and the NHUDSP in their 
Annual Development Plans, Annual Investment Plans, Physical Framework Plans, 
Development Master Plans, Comprehensive Land Use Plans, Disaster Risk Reduction and 
Management Plans, and similar plans.  
National agencies and local government units shall ensure the genuine and 
adequate participation in urban, regional, spatial and environmental planning: Provided, 
That access to information, official records, public records and to documents and papers 
pertaining to official acts, transactions or decisions, and research data related to urban 
development to enable informed participation in the decision-making shall be made 
available pursuant to Section 7, Article III of the 1987 Constitution.  
SEC. 7. Incentives for Sustainable Cities. – The DILG and the Department of 
Budget and Management shall incorporate the annual targets set by DHSUD, DILG, and 
NEDA in the awarding of the Seal of Good Local Governance under Republic Act No. 
11292, otherwise known as “The Seal of Good Local Governance Act of 2019”.  
SEC. 8. Public Participation. – National agencies and local government units shall 
ensure the genuine and adequate participation in urban, regional, spatial and 
environmental planning through the following:  
(a) Incentives for the private sector - the Department of Finance shall provide 
incentives to the participation of the private sector in the achievement of the goals 


identified under this Act, in accordance with Republic Act No. 10771, otherwise known 
as the “Philippine Green Jobs Act of 2016”; 
(b) Capacity building for communities - the DHSUD shall provide technical 
assistance to homeowners’ 
associations, neighborhood associations, people’s 
organizations, and other local organizations to empower them as partners in achieving 
the goals of this act, and enable them to undertake community-level actions towards 
becoming sustainable communities; and  
(c) Informed participation - information, education and communication materials 
shall be developed to make the NHUDSP accessible to all. Every Filipino shall have access 
to information, official records, public records and to documents and papers pertaining 
to official acts, transactions or decisions, and research data related to urban development 
to enable informed participation in the decision making process.  
SEC. 9. Report to Congress. – The DHSUD, NEDA, and DILG shall submit an annual 
report on the performance of their respective duties provided for under this Act and the 
compliance of cities and urban municipalities to the provisions of this Act to the Congress 
of the Philippines, through the Committee on Housing and Urban Development of the 
House of Representatives and the Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and 
Resettlement of the Senate.  
SEC. 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within six (6) months from the 
effectivity of this Act, the DHSUD, in consultation with the NEDA, DILG, PSA, League of 
Cities of the Philippines, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, civil society 
organizations, the private sector and the academe, shall promulgate the implementing 
rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act. 
SEC. 11. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this Act or a portion thereof is 
declared unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provision not affected thereby 
shall remain in force and effect. 
SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. – All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations or 
parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified 
accordingly. 
SEC. 13. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days from its 
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.  
Approved,