Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Our country is highly prone to natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, and 
volcanic eruptions as we are located in the Pacific Ring of Fire. According to recent 
data of the Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical, and Astronomical Services 
Administration (PAG-ASA), a significant number of tropical cyclones (TCs) are entering 
the Philippine Area of Responsibility (PAR) than anywhere else in the world. Averaging 
20 TCs in the region per year, about eight or nine are crossing the Philippines. In these 
circumstances, cyclones leave damaged infrastructures, properties, and livelihood — 
in worse cases, hundreds to thousands of casualties. 
In 2013 after the onslaught of the Super Typhoon Yolanda, the country scrambled to 
rebuild itself from the unprecedented level of devastation. While the government 
started the rehabilitation of disaster-struck areas, most of the survivors have remained 
in their makeshift tents and substandard bunkhouses with no access to potable water 
and electricity. 
A report from the National Housing Authority (NHA) in 2017 showed that the number 
of ready-for-occupancy (RFO) units has not even reached half of the 205,128 houses 
that the NHA has planned to build in Palawan, Masbate, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, Iloilo, 
Negros Occidental, Cebu, Tacloban City, Leyte, Eastern Samar, Samar, Southern 
Leyte, Biliran and Dinagat Island. 
Moreover, the 2021 annual audit report on the NHA showed that our state auditors 
noted that of the 212,618 target housing units under the government’s Yolanda 
Permanent Housing Program, only 156, 219 units (73%) have been completed as of 
December 31, 2021. It is stated that the remaining 56,399 units are undergoing 
construction or have been suspended, terminated, or have yet to be started.  
A report by the NHA reasoned that the lamentable delay in the completion of 
permanent housing units was due to several challenges such as the determination of 
lands suitable for resettlement, acquisition of required government permits and 
licenses, and even the length of bidding and procurement processes. On top of which 
were other issues cited such as poor coordination among local and national agencies, 
and their differences in policies. 
September 28, 2023
1:05 pm
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Considering the above, this bill seeks to ensure that our people shall not again suffer 
from prolonged homelessness due to geographical constraints as well as bureaucratic 
inconsistencies and entanglements after a disaster that devastated their properties 
and livelihoods. Those who experience disasters shall be quickly and efficiently 
rehabilitated and provided safe, secure, and sustainable housing that meets 
international humanitarian standards through the creation of a comprehensive and 
continuing Resilient Housing and Human Resettlements Program.  
Under this bill, the said program shall be undertaken by departments and agencies in 
close coordination with the private sector, civil society, select experts, and the 
academe. The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) 
shall lead the formulation of the National Framework for Resilient Housing and Human 
Settlements which will lay out concrete plans and guidelines to serve as the basis for 
measures or mechanisms for post-disaster housing and resiliency planning, research 
and development, extension, monitoring and evaluation of programs, projects, and 
activities to protect vulnerable communities from the adverse effects of climate change 
and disasters. 
Research studies on innovative, ingenious, and low-cost but resilient and sustainable 
resettlements shall also be administered to aid the State in related policy development 
and implementation. Through this bill, the State will be prepared to meet the 
Constitutional mandate of promoting the welfare of its people and upholding their 
dignity and human rights — even amid a disaster. 
In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
Second Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL NO. ____ 
Introduced by HON. LUIS RAYMUND “LRAY” F. VILLAFUERTE, JR. 
AN ACT 
INSTITUTING A NATIONAL COMPREHENSIVE FRAMEWORK ON RESILIENT 
HOUSING AND HUMAN SETTLEMENTS, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR 
AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
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 "Resilient Housing and Human 
Settlements Act". 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Principles and State Policies. – Pursuant to Article 2, 
Sections 5 and 11 of the Philippine Constitution which states that the maintenance of 
peace and order, the protection of life, liberty, and property, and the promotion of the 
general welfare are essential for the enjoyment by all the people of the blessings of 
democracy; the State values the dignity of every human person and guarantees full 
respect for human rights. 
To protect, promote, and fulfill the right to adequate housing as a component of the 
people's right to an adequate standard of living—concomitant with the goal of enhancing 
the resiliency of communities to disasters—the State shall undertake, in cooperation with 
the private sector, a comprehensive and continuing Resilient Housing and Human 
Settlements Program, which shall, among other things, lay out a clear and concrete plan 
to ensure that Filipinos who will experience disasters will be quickly rehabilitated in safe, 
secure, and sustainable housing, with attendant basic services and access to livelihood. 
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As a state party to United Nations International Covenant on the Economic, Social and 
Cultural Rights (ICESCR) and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, we will pursue 
Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and 
sustainable) and the Rights-Based Approach. 
 
Pursuant to Article 13, Section 16 of the Philippine Constitution, the right of the people 
and their organizations to effective and reasonable participation at all levels of social, 
political, and economic decision-making shall not be abridged. The State shall, by law, 
facilitate the establishment of adequate consultation mechanisms. 
 
It is the policy of the State to complement and supplement the provisions of the Philippine 
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 (Republic Act No. 10121), and in 
consonance with the Climate Change Act of 2009 (as amended by Republic Act No. 
10174) and other existing laws related to climate change adaptation and DRRM in 
relation to upholding the people's constitutional rights to life and property by addressing 
the root causes of vulnerabilities to disasters and building the resilience of local 
communities to climate change impacts; and in terms of mainstreaming climate change 
adaptation in development processes such as policy formulation, budgeting, and 
governance particularly with respect to housing and land use, it is hereby declared the 
policy of the State to work for the attainment of a more inclusive, safe, resilient, and 
sustainable human settlements. 
 
Towards this end, the government shall pursue a comprehensive, rights based, gender-
responsive, participatory, and sustainable approach to resilient human settlements. 
This Act declares the following as guiding principles: 
a) 
The Right to Adequate Housing according to the ICESCR covers the 
following elements: accessibility, affordability, habitability, security of tenure, 
cultural adequacy, resiliency, suitability of location, access to essential services 
such as health and education, and respect for safety standards aimed at reducing 
damage in cases of future disasters. 
 
b) 
The State bears the primary responsibility for protecting the people, 
infrastructure, and other national assets from the impact of disasters and will 


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mobilize adequate and make efficient use of existing resources, including financial, 
scientific, and technological means in nurturing resiliency. 
 
c) 
The building/achievement/fulfillment of resilient human settlements 
require that responsibilities be shared by the national and local government units 
and relevant national authorities, sectors, stakeholders, and communities. This 
entails the development and strengthening of institutions, mechanisms, and 
capacities at all levels, in particular at the community level that can systematically 
contribute to building resiliency. Convergence of resources and involvement of 
various stakeholders are essential to the supply of housing and infrastructure in 
the overall context of sustainable development and resilient human settlements. 
 
d) 
Ensure accountability and transparency of all sectors to monitor and 
evaluate programs and initiatives. 
 
e) 
Uphold gender equity and equality, cultural diversity, and the rights of 
vulnerable groups such as children, elderly and, people with disabilities when 
planning for resilient and sustainable settlements development. 
 
SECTION 3. General Objectives. – This Act seeks to: 
a) 
Provide a framework for resilient housing and human settlements; 
b) 
Guide various stakeholders to take well-planned, concerted, transparent, 
inclusive, livable, safe, resilient, sustainable, and pro-poor housing initiatives in the best 
possible manner, 
c) 
Strengthen the participation of all sectors especially communities and civil society 
in the planning of resilient housing and human settlements; 
d) 
Build synergy, convergence and integration of housing-related and livelihood 
intervention for the attainment of resilient and sustainable human settlements; 
e) 
Foster policy and program coherence related to poverty alleviation, income 
generation and employment, and delivery channels to achieve the overall objective of 
housing for all and the attainment of resilient and sustainable development of human 
settlements; 


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f) 
Support innovation and research and development into new, indigenous, low-cost 
resilient and sustainable human settlements; 
 
SECTION 4. Definition of Terms. –  As used in this Act, the following terms shall mean: 
a) 
“Adequate housing” –  defined as that which affords its occupants the following 
conditions: 
1.  
legal security of tenure, including protection against forced evictions; 
2. 
available services and infrastructure (access to water; energy for cooking, 
heating, and lighting; sanitation and washing facilities; food storage; and waste 
disposal (solid, septage and sewerage); communication and information; 
sufficient road networks especially for emergencies and so on); 
3. 
affordable housing costs and financing options such that the attainment of other 
basic needs is not threatened; 
4. 
habitability in the sense of adequate spaces, security, physical safety, and 
protection from cold, damp, heat, rain, wind, structural hazards, and disease 
vectors; 
5. 
sufficient accessibility that disadvantaged or vulnerable groups such as persons 
with disabilities, elderly, children and women are not left without shelter 
appropriate to their particular needs; 
6. 
a physical location allowing proximate access to employment and livelihood 
options, health care services, schools, child-care centers, and other social 
facilities and avoiding risks from pollution sources; 
7. 
available, resilient, environmentally friendly and appropriate construction 
materials, settlements design and process with respect to the expression of 
cultural and religious identity and geographical location; 
8. 
compliance with safety and resilience standards aimed at minimizing damage 
from future disasters. 
 
b) 
“Adequate open spaces” – which includes roads, green spaces, areas for persons 
with disabilities, elderly, children, and materials recovery facilities. 
 


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c) 
“Climate-resilient housing” – Refers to housing that is equipped and structurally 
designed to resist, absorb, and accommodate the effects of climate hazards like heat 
waves, extreme weather variabilities without significant changes to its basic functions. 
 
d) 
“Comprehensive Resilient Housing Program for Disaster Survivors” – Refers to 
the delivery of resources and activities in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of 
damaged and destroyed housing and development of other new permanent housing 
options for persons and families affected by disasters. It shall follow humanitarian 
standards for their protection and their rights to adequate housing through the provision 
of safe, habitable emergency and transitional shelter during displacement and 
permanent housing that meets the basic standards of adequacy and decency. Providing 
for a comprehensive, multisectoral, inter-agency, and community-based approach to 
post-disaster housing rehabilitation, reconstruction, and recovery. 
 
e) 
“Gender equity and equality” – Refers to the principle asserting the equality of 
men and women and their right to enjoy equal conditions realizing their full human 
potentials to contribute to and benefit from the results of development, and with the State 
recognizing that all human beings are free and equal in dignity and rights. Gender equity 
refers to the policies, instruments, programs, services, and actions that address the 
disadvantaged position of women in society by providing preferential treatment and 
affirmative action. Such temporary special measures aimed at accelerating de facto 
equality between men and women shall not be considered discriminatory but shall in no 
way entail as a consequence the maintenance of unequal or separate standards. 
 
f) 
“Land-Use Planning” – the process undertaken by national and local government 
authorities, communities, private sector, and civil society to identify, evaluate, and 
decide on different options for the use of land, including consideration of long-term 
economic, social, and environmental objectives and the implications for different 
communities and interest group, and the subsequent formulation and promulgation of 
plans that describe the permitted or acceptable uses. 
 
g) 
“People's Plan” – a resettlement option and community development plan 
formulated by POs, with or without the support of NGOs, LGUs and NGAs. 


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h) 
“Post-Disaster Recovery” – the restoration and improvement where appropriate, 
of facilities, livelihood, and living condition of disaster-affected communities, including 
efforts to reduce disaster risk factors, and enhancing resiliency, in accordance with the 
principles of "build back better," as defined in Republic Act No. 10121 or the Philippine 
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010. 
 
i) 
“Resilience” – the capacity of a system, community or society exposed to hazards 
to resist, adapt, and transform to an acceptable level of functioning and structure. This 
is determined by the degree to which the system is capable of organizing itself to 
increase this capacity by learning from experiences for better future protection and to 
improve risk reduction measures. 
 
SECTION 5. National Framework for Resilient Housing and Human Settlements. – 
This is the National Framework for Resilient Human Settlements (hereinafter referred to 
as the Framework) to be formulated by the Department of Human Settlements and 
Urban Development (DHSUD) within six (6) months from the effectivity of this Act in 
coordination and in partnership with the following: 
a) 
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and 
its attached agencies; 
b) 
National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA); 
c) 
Climate Change Commission (CCC) ; 
d) 
Office of Civil Defense (OCD); 
e) 
Government Service Insurance Service System (GSIS) ; 
f) 
Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD); 
g) 
Department of Science and Technology (DOST); 
h) 
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); 
i) 
Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH); 
j) 
Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE); 
k) 
Department of Trade and Industry (DTI); 
l) 
Department of Budget and Management (DBM); 
m) 
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG); 
n) 
Office of Presidential Adviser on Peace Process (OPAPP); 


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o) 
National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP); 
p) 
National Anti-Poverty Commission (NAPC); 
q) 
Insurance Commission (IC); 
r) 
Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP); 
s) 
Built environment and disaster-resilient housing design experts; 
t) 
Academe; 
u) 
Civil society; 
v) 
Communities and other concerned public and private entities. 
The Framework shall serve as the basis for measures or mechanisms for post disaster 
housing and resiliency planning, research and development, extension, monitoring and 
evaluation of programs, projects, and activities to protect vulnerable communities from 
the adverse effects of climate change and disasters. 
 
The Framework shall describe how the State and all relevant stakeholders can work 
together to achieve adequate and resilient housing for all, including and most especially 
those affected by disasters; and chart the new direction that our national and local 
housing programs and efforts must take in order to make human settlements and 
communities more inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. 
 
The Framework shall include, but not limited to, the following components: 
a) 
National Resilient Housing Agenda, which shall be derived from the threats, 
hazards, and vulnerabilities identified; adaptation needs and requirements; risk and 
resiliency assessment for the Philippine housing sector; 
 
b) 
National and local resilient housing priorities; outline the most efficient and cost-
effective housing projects that will best meet the short-term and long-term resilient 
housing needs of individuals and households; 
 
c) 
National Standards for Resilient Housing Design and Construction; 
 
d) 
National Post-Disaster Housing Recovery Strategy, which shall focus on how 
best to restore, rehabilitate, redevelop, and revitalize disaster impacted communities; 


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restoring livelihoods; effectively preventing the recurrence of disasters and harnessing 
conditions for future development; 
 
e) 
Promotion of local government rehabilitation and recovery plans; 
 
f) 
Rules and Guidelines for Post-Disaster Housing Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, 
and Relocation; 
 
g) 
Comprehensive Resilient Housing Program for Disaster Survivors; 
 
h) 
Investment and financing requirements; 
 
i) 
Institutional arrangements, including public-private partnership; national 
government roles; local government support functions; and private sector 
responsibilities; 
 
j) 
Implementation arrangements; 
 
k) 
Reporting, monitoring, and evaluation. 
 
SECTION 6. Monitoring of Compliance with this Act. – DHSUD shall take the lead to 
periodically monitor the compliance with this Act. Other agencies will participate in the 
monitoring such as attached agencies of DHSUD, DILG, Office of Civil Defense; NEDA, 
and CCC. There shall be a mechanism for civil society to participate in the monitoring 
process. 
 
SECTION 7. 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. 
 


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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 8. Annual Report. – The DHSUD shall submit to the President, Senate 
President and House Speaker 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 Resilient Housing and Human Settlements 
Action Plan, policy gaps, and recommended legislation, where applicable and 
necessary. LGUs shall submit annual progress on the implementation of their respective 
local action plan to DHSUD within the first quarter of the following year. 
 
SECTION 9. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the initial implementation of 
this Act shall be charged against the current appropriation of the DHSUD. Thereafter, 
the amount needed for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included in the 
annual General Appropriations Act. 
 
SECTION 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – Within ninety (90) days from 
the effectivity of this Act, the key shelter agencies shall, upon consultation and 
coordination with the pertinent government agencies, LGUs, private sector, NGOs, POs, 
build environment expert and professionals, promulgate the necessary rules and 
regulations for the effective implementation of this Act: Provided, That failure to issue 
rules and regulations shall not in any manner affect the executory nature of the 
provisions of this Act. 
 
SECTION 11. Separability Clause. – If, for any reason, any provision or part of this Act 
is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected 
thereby shall remain in full force and effect. 
 


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SECTION 12. Repealing Clause. – All laws, executive orders, presidential decrees, 
issuances, rules and regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with any provision of this 
Act are hereby modified, amended, or repealed accordingly. 
 
SECTION 13. Effectivity. – This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication 
in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
 
Approved,