Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. _______________
Introduced by ANG PROBINSYANO
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos
EXPLANATORY NOTE
The State, under Article II, Section 9, is bound to “promote a just and
dynamic social order that will ensure the prosperity of the nation and free
the people from poverty through policies that provide adequate social
services, promote full employment, a rising standard of living, and an
improved quality of life for all.” In relation, under Article XIII, Section 1
mandates
Congress
to
“give the highest priority to the enactment of
measures that protect and enhance the right of all the people to human
dignity, reduce social, economic, and political inequalities, and remove
cultural inequities by equitably diffusing wealth and political power for the
common good.” Section 2 of the same Article even specifies that “[t]he
promotion of social justice shall include the commitment to create economic
opportunities based on freedom of initiative and self-reliance.”
However, according to Habitat for Humanity, “4 out of 10 families [in
the Philippines] don’t have a decent place to live,” meaning they “live in slum
areas.”1 “Those 4 out of 10 equal about 4 million families (or roughly 20-25
million people), who do not have decent housing.”2 The United Nations has
also raised alarms over this situation, stating that 44% of the Philippine
urban population lives in slums.3
Further complicating this situation is the fact that previous relocation
programs have been revealed to be problematic—displacing the informal
settlers without arranging housing for them, or taking them too far away
from their employment/sources of income:4
4 Id. at 108-109.
3 John Francis Lagman, “Anatomy of the Nation’s Housing Problems,” p.104, available at
https://www.philrights.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Anatomy-of-the-nations-housin
g-problems.pdf.
2 Id.
1 Habitat for Humanity, “Slum redevelopment: the need for social housing in Manila,”
available at
https://www.habitatforhumanity.org.uk/blog/2017/10/upgrading-slums-philippines-need
-social-housing/.
September 19, 2022
4:24 pm
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[Urban Poor Associates (UPA)]…estimates that only half of the evicted
families receive relocation assistance. Take for example the particularly
extensive clearing of informal settlements and the massive displacement of
families resulting from the Northrail and Southrail Linkage Project, which
aims to rehabilitate the existing railway system from Mabalacat, Pampanga
to
Cabuyao,
Laguna
to
help
decongest
traffic
in Metro Manila. The
relocation of 92,000 families to different sites in Bulacan, Laguna and
Cavite has started, with 36,000 families reportedly evicted after proper
coordination, approval and clearance from the Presidential Commission for
the Urban Poor (PCUP). But contrary to pronouncements of an in-city
relocation policy, majority of the affected families were transferred to distant
off-city sites such as Towerville (San Jose del Monte, Bulacan), Southville 2
(Trece Martires, Cavite) and Southville 1 (Cabuyao, Laguna). Relocation to
sites far from their sources of income has disrupted these families’ already
meagre cashflow, and the absence of viable livelihood opportunities in the
new sites is not easily remedied in the immediate term. The lack of basic
services such as potable water, electricity, sanitation facilities as well as
classrooms and health centers further exacerbates their situation. HUDCC,
the
agency
overseeing
these
resettlement
programs,
explains
these
inadequacies as being part of what it calls the “incremental approach”
whereby basic services are gradually provided as funds allow, even as
families have already moved in. Those who do not receive relocation
assistance are left to fend for themselves, and more often than not transfer
to other slum areas or create new ones elsewhere
Hence, this bill, which aims to help informal settlers afford better
housing,
by
subsidizing
their
rent,
and
in
this
way,
facilitates their
relocation
without
forcibly
removing
them
from
the
vicinity
of
their
employment/sources of income.
It is for the foregoing premises that the approval of this Bill is
earnestly sought.
ALFRED C. DELOS SANTOS
Representative, Ang Probinsyano Party-List


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
HOUSE BILL NO. _______________
Introduced by ANG PROBINSYANO
Party-List Representative Alfred Delos Santos
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE RENTAL HOUSING SUBSIDY PROGRAM AND
PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Short Title. – This Act shall be known as the “Rental
Housing Subsidy Program Act of 2022.”
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared the policy of
the State to:
a) Promote a just, equitable, and inclusive urban development through
programs providing adequate social services, broader housing options,
livelihood and employment, and improved quality of life for the
Filipino people, especially the underprivileged;
b) Provide an innovative housing program providing affordable, livable,
and decent housing, as well as access to basic social services,
especially for the underprivileged;
c) Protect the urban poor from the impact of immediate dislocation due
to eviction and demolition arising from government projects; and
d) Provide options for interim housing for displaced families due to
natural and man-made disasters.
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. – For purposes of this Act, the
following terms or words and phrases shall be understood to mean as
follows:
a) Displacement – refers to the state of being displaced from one place to
another due to causes such as, but not limited to, eviction and
demolition;
b) Informal Settler Beneficiary (ISB) – refers to individuals or households
living under any of the following conditions:
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1) Where the individual or household is residing in a lot or
dwelling unit without the consent of the legal owner of such
lot or dwelling unit;
2) Where the individual or household is residing in a danger
area,
as
determined
by
the
Department
of
Human
Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD);
3) Where the individual or household is residing in an area
reserved or used for government infrastructure projects;
4) Where the individual or household, except for those who are
members of indigenous groups, is residing in an area that is
classified as a protected or forest area;
5) Where the individual or household is living in an area
declared as a priority development area under Proclamation
No. 1967, series of 1980, as applicable; or
6) Where the individual or household is living on public lands,
structures, or facilities not intended for human habitation.
c) Rental Housing Subsidy – refers to the financial assistance provided
by the government to rent accommodation in the private rental
market, the amount which shall not exceed the rates as regulated
under Republic Act No. 9653, otherwise known as the “Rent Control
Act.”
SECTION 4. Rental Housing Subsidy Program. – A Rental Housing
Subsidy
Program,
hereinafter
referred
to
as
the
“Program,”
shall
be
established as a housing and social protection program with the end view of
enabling ISBs to lead decent lives and supporting them in accessing the
formal housing market. It shall be made an option to address the temporary
relocation of displaced families due to natural and man-made disasters.
Eligible beneficiaries shall receive a rental subsidy, the amount of
which shall be determined by the DHSUD taking into consideration, among
others,
the
prevailing
rental
rates
in
the
concerned locality and the
economic standing and the economic standing and potential of the family.
The subsidy shall be a percentage of the total amount of rentals as
determined by the rental or lease contract between the eligible beneficiary
and the lessor, provided that for those eligible beneficiaries below the
poverty threshold as determined by the Philippine Statistics Authority, the
subsidy shall be at least 50% of the total amount of rentals.
Notwithstanding any provisions to the contrary, at any time, but not
more than once every two (2) years, subsidies given under the program shall
be reviewed or revised to conform to prevailing economic conditions.
Rental
subsidy
shall
be
granted
to
eligible
beneficiaries
for
a
maximum
of five (5) years or upon their availment or acquisition of
permanent housing, whichever comes first.
SECTION 5. Eligibility. – To be an eligible beneficiary under this Act,
an individual or household must:


a) Live under any of the conditions under Section 3(b) of this Act;
b) Have a source of livelihood or have at least one (1) member of the
household gainfully employed; and
c) Vacate the informal settlement area in which they are presently living
and transfer or relocate to a safer area.
SECTION 6. Conditions for Continued Entitlement or Eligibility. – All
eligible beneficiaries shall comply with the following conditions for continued
availment of the benefits under this Act:
a) The beneficiaries shall not move or relocate back to the area in which
they were originally living in unless such move or relocation has been
permitted
by
the
proper
government
authorities
taking
into
consideration the purpose of the program; and
b) The beneficiaries shall pay that portion of the rentals not subsidized
under the program to the lessor.
Beneficiaries
who
maintain
good
payment
standings
shall
be
prioritized as beneficiaries in government housing programs.
SECTION
7.
Form
of
Payment.
–
The
rental
subsidy
shall
be
distributed by the DSHUD in such form as may be identified by the DSHUD
to be most beneficial and appropriate for the beneficiaries.
SECTION 8. Roles of Government Agencies. – The program shall
involve the national government agencies and instrumentalities with the
following roles:
a) The DSHUD shall:
1) Coordinate
with
housing agencies to formulate program
targets and integrate these to the national housing policy;
2) Promulgate appropriate housing policies among the attached
corporations of the DSHUD in line with the implementation
of this program;
3) Enlist beneficiaries and their lessors for the program;
4) Set up monitoring and evaluation system, tools, exit strategy,
and
methodologies
on
compliance
with
conditions,
implementation, output, and impact assessments together
with its attached agencies, the Department of Social Welfare
and Development (DSWD), the Presidential Commission on
the Urban Poor (PCUP), and the local government units; and
5) Recommend
to
Congress
measures
for
the
proper
and
responsive implementation of this Act.
b) The National Housing Authority (NHA) shall:
1) Certify the eligibility of the beneficiaries under the program;
2) Coordinate
with
infrastructure
program
implementing
agencies, including but not limited to the Department of


Public Works and Highways (DPWH) and the Department of
Transportation
(DOTr)
for
the
identification
of
areas
of
housing for persons who need immediate resettlement;
3) Update
the
alphalist
and
socio-economic
profiles
of
beneficiaries
to
be
resettled
as
part
of
the
National
Resettlement Program; and
4) Design and conduct appropriate monitoring and evaluation
of the implementations of this program, which shall include
a grievance and redress system.
c) The
Home
Development
Mutual
Fund
(HDMF)
shall
enroll
the
beneficiaries in the HDMF system so as to facilitate their entry into
the formal housing market.
d) The DSWD shall:
1) Design
the
social
preparation
activities
and
form
and
conduct workshops and training programs to ensure that
beneficiaries
are
aware
of
the benefits of the program,
including the parameters and conditions for eligibility.
e) The PCUP shall:
1) Assist
the
DSWD
in
the
design
of
social
preparation
activities,
workshops,
and
training
programs
for
beneficiaries;
2) Conduct
social
preparation
activities
with
the
local
government units.
f)
The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA)
shall
provide
skills
training
to
beneficiaries
and
facilitate
job
placement.
g) The local government units shall:
1) Maintain a publicly accessible register of lessors in their
respective areas of jurisdiction;
2) Assist the NHA in conducting census and tagging of ISBs in
need of immediate resettlement;
3) Assist the DSWD and PCUP in conducting social preparation
activities;
4) Contain
the vacated areas of ISBs to help achieve the
objectives of this program;
5) Assist
the
DSWD
in
monitoring
and
evaluating
the
implementation of this program; and
6) Conduct field valuation of beneficiaries and their respective
lessors with DSWD in the rental housing units.
SECTION 9. Additional Positions and Personnel for the DSHUD. – For
purposes of this Act, the DSHUD shall, in accordance with pertinent civil
service rules, create positions and enlist additional personnel to ensure the
proper and appropriate implementation of the program under this Act.


SECTION 10. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the effective
implementation
of
this
Act
shall
be
charged
against
the
current
appropriations for the DSHUD. Thereafter, such amounts as necessary for
its
continued
implementation
shall
be
included
in
the
General
Appropriations Act.
SECTION 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). –
The
DSHUD, in coordination with relevant government agencies, shall issue
rules, regulations, and guidelines necessary to carry out the implementation
and purposes of this Act within six (6) months from the date of effectivity.
SECTION 12. Mandatory Review on the Implementation of this Act. –
The DSHUD shall submit to Congress a report on the implementation of this
program at the end of the second (2nd) year from the date of effectivity and
every two (2) years thereafter.
SECTION 13. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this Act shall
be declared unconstitutional or invalid, such declaration shall not invalidate
other parts thereof which shall remain in full force and effect.
SECTION
14.
Repealing
Clause.
–
All
laws,
executive
orders,
presidential decrees or issuances, letters of instruction, administrative
orders, rules, and regulations contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions
of this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.
SECTION 15. Effectivity Clause. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15)
days after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general
circulation.
Approved,