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EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
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Third Regular Session 
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SENATE 
S. B. No. 2393
(In substitution of Senate Bill Nos. 1227, 1767 and 1843, taking into consideration
House Bill No. 8736)
Prepared by the Committees on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement; and 
Finance with Senators Go, ReviHa, De Lima, Toientino, and Angara as authors thereof
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A RENTAL SUBSIDY PROGRAM FOR INFORMAL SETTLER 
FAMILIES, APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, AND FOR OTHER 
PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
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SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Rental Housing Subsidy
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Act of 2021".
SEC. 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 an improved quality of life for the Filipino 
people, especially the underprivileged;
b) Provide an innovative housing program that makes available affordable, 
livable, and decent housing, as well as access to basic social services, 
especially for the underprivileged;


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c) Protect the urban poor from the impact of immediate dislocation due to 
eviction and demolition arising from government projects and disasters; and
d) Provide interim housing for dislocated families due to natural and man-made 
disasters and calamities.
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:
a) 
Disiocatiorf refers to the state of being displaced from one place to another 
due to causes such as eviction and demolition.
b) Informal Settler Beneficiaries or ISB" refer to individuals or households 
living in their own house or renting a dwelling unit:
i. 
Without consent of the lot owner;
ii. 
In danger areas as defined under Republic Act No. 7279, otherwise 
known as the "Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992";
iii. 
In government-owned land to be used for government infrastructure 
projects;
iv. 
In protected forest areas except for indigenous peoples;
V. In areas of priority development as declared under Proclamation No. 
1967, Series of 1980, if applicable; or
vi. In other government public lands or facilities not intended for human 
habitation.
c) ''Lessett shall refer to the person renting a residential unit.
d) " Owner/Lessof' shall include the owner, administrator, or agent of the 
owner of the residential unit.
e) "/?e/7f"shall mean the amount paid for the use or occupancy of a residential 
unit whether payment is made on a monthly or other basis.


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f) ^'Rental Housing Subsidy refers to partial financial assistance provided by
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the government to eligible program beneficiaries to rent accommodation in
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the private rental market. The amount shall not exceed the rates as
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regulated under Republic Act No. 9653, otherwise known as the "Rent
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Control Act of 2009".
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SEC. 4. Rentai Housing Subsidy Program. - There is hereby established the
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Rental Housing Subsidy Program, hereinafter referred to as the "Program," to provide
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social protection and support to ISBs in accessing the formal housing market. It shall
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be made an option to address the temporary relocation of displaced families due to
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natural and man-made disasters.
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Eligible ISBs shall receive a flat rental subsidy rate of Three thousand five
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hundred pesos (PhP3,500.00) for those living in Metro Manila, and a rental subsidy
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rate to be jointly determined by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban
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Development (DHSUD) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA)
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for those living in all other regions, taking into consideration the prevailing minimum
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wage and rental rates per region, but not to exceed Three thousand five hundred
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pesos (PhP3,500.00): Provided, That the rental subsidy shall not exceed the actual
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rent: Provided, further, That at any time, but not more than once every two (2) years,
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such subsidy may be reviewed or revised jointly by the DHSUD and NEDA to conform
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with prevailing economic conditions.
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Rental subsidy shall be granted to eligible beneficiaries until the date of
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completion of the permanent housing project intended for them or upon their actual
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transfer to the permanent housing project, whichever comes first: Provided, That, in
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case of delay in the completion of the permanent housing project, the rental subsidy


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shall be extended: Provided, further, That the agency implementing the permanent
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housing project shall bear the cost of the extended rental subsidy.
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SEC. 5. Eligibility. - To be an eligible beneficiary under th:s Act, an individual or
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household must:
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a) Live under any of the conditions under Sec. 3, paragraph b, of this Act;
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b) Have a source of livelihood or have at least one (1) member of the household
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gainfully employed: Provided, That the daily cumulative income of said family will
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amount to the prevailing minimum wage in the region; and
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c) Vacate the informal settlement area in which they are presently living and
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transfer or relocate to a safer, decent, and formal settlement and sign a maximum
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Five (5) - year contract with the government.
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SEC. 6. Conditions for Continued Entitlement or Eligibility. - All eligible
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beneficiaries shall comply with the following conditions to continuously avail of the
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benefits under this Act:
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a) The beneficiaries shall not move or relocate back to the area in which they
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were originally living unless such move or relocation has been permitted by the proper
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government authorities, taking into consideration the purpose of the Program; and
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b) The beneficiaries shall pay to the lessor that portion of the rental fee not
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covered by the subsidy.
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Beneficiaries who maintain good payment standing shall be prioritized as
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beneficiaries in government housing programs.
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SEC. 7. Form of Payment. - The rental subsidy shall be distributed by the DHSUD
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in such form it may determine to be most beneficial and appropriate for the
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beneficiaries.


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SEC. 8. Roles of Government Agencies. - The various national government
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agencies and 
instrumentalities involved in the Program shall perform specific
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responsibilities.
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a) The DHSUD shall:
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i. Coordinate with housing agencies to formulate Program targets and
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integrate these to the national housing policy;
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ii. 
Promulgate appropriate housing policies 
among the attached
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corporations of DHSUD and other concerned implementing agencies
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as necessary in line with the implementation of this Program;
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iii. Maintain a national database of validated ISBs, their socio-economic
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profile, and their respective lessors as well as the link to publicly
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accessible registry of lessors, and the location and basic description
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of the rental housing unit;
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iv. Enlist beneficiaries and their lessors for the Program;
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V. 
Disburse the rental subsidy to the lessors of the ISBs through a
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dedicated bank account in a government bank;
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vi. Formulate guidelines on the minimum design of a safe, decent, and
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adequate rental housing unit that considers public health goals;
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vii. Set up a monitoring and evaluation system, tools, grievance and
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redress system, exit strategy, and methodologies on compliance with
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conditions, implementation, output, 
and 
impact assessments
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together with its attached agencies, the Department of Social
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Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Presidential Commission for
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the Urban Poor (PGUP), the Technical Education and Skills


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Development Authority (TESDA), and the Local Government Units 
(LGUs); and
viii. Recommend to Congress measures for the proper and responsive 
implementation of this Act.
b) The National Housing Authority (NHA) shall:
i. 
Coordinate with infrastructure program implementing agencies, 
including the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), 
and the Department of Transportation (DOTr), regarding the 
identification of areas suitable for housing projects and the 
persons who need immediate resettlement;
ii. 
Conduct census and tagging of affected ISBs for immediate 
resettlement;
iii. 
Certify and submit to DHSUD the list of eligible ISBs living in 
government-owned land to be used for government infrastructure 
project and in areas for priority development as declared under 
Proclamation No. 1967, s. 1980, if applicable, in coordination with 
DOTr, DPWH, and LGUs; and
iv. 
Provide a national database of resettlement housing units ready 
for occupancy by intended ISBs of the program.
c) The LGUs shall:
i. 
Assist the NHA in conducting census and tagging of ISBs in need 
of immediate resettlement;
ii. 
Assist the DSWD and PGUP in conducting social preparation 
activities;


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Hi. Contain the vacated areas of ISBs to help achieve the objectives 
of this Program;
iv. Assist the DSWD in conducting field validation of beneficiaries and 
their respective lessors for the rental housing units.
V. Conduct an inventory of rental housing units that are compliant 
with the minimum design and standard facilities set by the 
DHSUD in consultation with other concerned agencies;
vi. 
Assist in monitoring and evaluation of the program, especially the 
continued occupancy of rental housing units by ISBs;
vii. Maintain a database of ISBs as defined in this Act and registered 
lessors in their area of jurisdiction that can be linked to DHSUD's 
national database and shared with other concerned government 
implementing agencies of the Program; and
viii. Maintain a publicly accessible registry of rental housing units with 
basic description, which are compliant with minimum design and 
standard facilities in their respective area of jurisdiction.
d) The DSWD shall:
i. 
Validate the list of eligible ISBs provided by DHSUD against the 
"Listahan" or the National Household Targeting System for Poverty 
Reduction (NHTS-PR);
ii. 
With the assistance of LGUs, conduct field validation of ISBs and their 
respective lessors for the rental housing units;
iii. 
Submit the list of validated ISBs to DHSUD for funding;


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iv. Jointly undertake with the PGUP and the Department of the Interior
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and Local Government (DILG) the design of the social preparation;
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and
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V. Jointly undertake with the PGUP and LGUs the conduct of the social
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preparation.
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e) The PGUP shall;
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i. Jointly undertake with the DSWD and the DILG the design of the
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social preparation; and
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ii. Jointly undertake with the DSWD and LGUS the conduct of social
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preparation.
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f) The TESDA shall provide skills training to at least one (1) household member
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of the beneficiaries. It shall ensure that skills trainings provided to beneficiaries are in
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line with the environment of the relocation site.
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g) The Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) shall enroll in its system at
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least one (1) household member of the applicant-beneficiaries of the Program to
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facilitate their entry into the formal housing market.
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Provided, That a national program steering committee, and regional, provincial,
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city, and municipal technical working groups (TWGs) composed of the DHSUD, NHA,
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LGUs, DSWD, TESDA, PGUP, and HDMF shall be constituted to define the line of
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coordination and to ensure seamless program coordination.
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Provided, further, That DHSUD shall closely collaborate with the NHA, DSWD,
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DILG and Department of Budget and Management (DBM) in the development of a
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program design and funding mechanism.


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SEC. 9. Additional Positions and Personnel for the DHSUD. - For purposes of this
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Act, the DHSUD shall, in accordance with pertinent civil service rules, create positions
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and enlist additional personnel to ensure the proper and appropriate implementation
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of the Program under this Act, subject to the evaluation and approval by the DBM.
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SEC. 10. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the effective
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implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current appropriations for
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DHSUD. Hereafter, such amount as may be necessary for its continued
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implementation shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act: Provided,
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That funding support for agencies implementing the Program shall be included in the
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necessary appropriations for this Act.
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SEC. 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The DHSUD, in coordination
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with relevant government agencies, shall issue rules, regulations, and guidelines
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necessary to carry out the intent and purposes of this Act within six (6) months from
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date of effectivity.
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SEC. 12. Mandatory Review on the Implementation of this Act. - The DHSUD
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shall submit to the Congress a report on the implementation of this Program at the
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end of the second year from the date of effectivity of this Act and every two (2) years
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thereafter.
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SEC. 13. Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is held
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unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining provisions not affected thereby shall
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continue to be in full force and effect.
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SEC. 14. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, proclamations, rules,
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regulations, and other issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the
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provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.


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SEC. 15. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
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publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,
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