Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House BillNo. 8303

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE ERIC L. OLIVAREZ

EXPLANATORY NOTE

The Constitution of the Philippines provides in Section 9 of Article XII
for the State to undertake a continuing program of urban land reform and
housing which will make available at an affordable cost decent housing and
basic services to underprivileged and homeless citizens in urban centers and
resettlement areas. From this constitutional mandate, it can be clearly
deduced that the State considers, as it should be considered, the importance
of assisting underprivileged citizens in having decent housing and access to
basic services. However, because of the rapid rise of poverty in the country,
efforts to provide decent housing to underprivilege Filipinos remain futile as
many Filipino families still resort to informal settling.

Poverty in the Philippines has been a problem for so long. As an effect
of this, many Filipino families do not have decent homes to live in. They
instead resort to settle on lands without legal claim over it. Moreover, natural
disasters and calamities also contribute to the problem of informal settling.
Although the Filipino people remain to be resilient despite all the hardships
that our country faces, this still does not deny the fact that these calamities
have caused destruction to a lot of homes of the Filipino people. Informal
settling is very troublesome because these people, just to utilize their basic
need of a shelter, have to live in constant fear that they may be evicted by
the owners of the properties they are occupying.


In order to provide a solution to the problem of informal settling, this
Act is created in order to provide a rental housing subsidy program which
shall be established as a housing and social protection program with the
purpose of leading informal settler families into living decent lives in decent
homes. Through this program, informal settler families shall be protected
from the heavy impacts of eviction from the places they are occupying. Also
provided in this Bill, among others, are the qualifications in order to be eligible
under the rental housing subsidy program and the requirements for their
continuing eligibility.

Considering the positive impact that will be realized by underprivileged

Filipino people through its provisions, the passage of this Bill is earnestly
sought.

Ce eee


Republic of the Philippines
House of Representatives
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
‘Second Regular Session

House BillNo, 8303

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVE ERIC L. OLIVAREZ

AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE RENTAL HOUSING SUBSIDY PROGRAM AND
PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Republic of the
Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. — This act shall be known as the “Rental Housing Subsidy
Act of 2020”.

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby declared the policy of the State
to give 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 by
diffusing wealth and political power for the common good.

Towards this end, the State shall undertake the initiation of continuing programs
which will make available decent housing and basic services to underprivileged citizens
at an affordable cost.

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. —

a) Informal Settler Families (ISF) shall refer to households living in a lot,
whether private or public, without the consent of the property owner; or
those without legal claim over the property they are occupying; or those
living in danger areas such as esteros, railroad tracks, garbage dumps,
riverbanks, shorelines, and waterways;


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b) Rental Housing Subsidy shall refer to the financial assistance to be
provided by the government for purposes of rent accommodation which
shall be in conformity with the amounts prescribed under Republic Act No.
9653, otherwise known as the "Rental Control Act”.

SECTION 4. Rental Housing Subsidy Program. — A Rental Housing Subsidy
Program is hereby established in order to facilitate a housing and social protection
program for the benefit of ISFs. Through the Rental Housing Subsidy Program, eligible
ISFs shall be recipients of a rental housing subsidy, the amount of which shall be
determined jointly by the Department of Human Seltlements and Urban Development
(DHSUD) and the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA).

Moreover, the amount of the rental subsidy shall be reviewable at any time but
only once every two (2) years in order to conform with prevailing economic conditions.

Finally, the rental subsidy shall be granted to qualified ISFs for a maximum period
of five (5) years from the time of their availment of said program

SECTION 5. Qualifications. — For |SFs to be able to avail of the Rental Housing
Subsidy Program, the following qualifications must be present:
a) The ISF must be living in:

1. danger areas as defined by the DSHUD; or

2. areas identified for government infrastructure projects which are firmly
backed up with funding commitments coupled with actual validation by
its respective goverment implementing agencies;

b) The ISF must have at least one (1) member of the household who is
employed or who has a source of livelihood;

c) The ISF must be willing to transfer to a safer area as shall be provided under
this Act and vacate the informal settlement area,

SECTION 6. Conditions for Continued Eligibility. — The beneficiaries shall be
mandated to comply with the conditions that shall be stated below in order to enjoy
continued eligibility under this Act:

a) The ISFs who are beneficiaries under this Act shall not relocate to the
danger area, government infrastructure area, or private land wherein they
previously resided except when permitted by the proper government
authorities; and

b) The beneficiaries shall pay the remaining portion of the rentals to the lessor
which is not covered under the program.

Beneficiaries who maintain good payment standings shall be prioritized as
beneficiaries in government housing programs.


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SECTION 7. Form of Payment. — The rental subsidy shall be distributed by the
DSHUD on a monthly basis to the lessors of the ISFs through a dedicated government
bank account.

SECTION 8. Role of Government Agencies. — The program shall involve the
national government agencies and instrumentalities with the following roles:

a) The DHSUD shall:

1. Create program targets in coordination with housing agencies and
further incorporate these to the national housing policy;

2. Formulate housing policies applicable to attached corporations of the
DHSUD in connection with the implementation of this program;

3. Determine both the beneficiaries and the lessors in this program;

4. Setup a system for the monitoring and evaluation of the
implementation of this program. Said system of monitoring and
evaluation shall also include tools, exit strategies and methodologies
on compliance with the conditions, implementation, output, and
impact assessments together with its attached agencies; and

5, Recommend to Congress measures for the proper and responsive
implementation of this Act.

b) The National Housing Authority (NHA) shall:

4. Confirm and certify the eligibility of the beneficiaries under the
program;

2. Determine areas in need of immediate resettlement in coordination
with infrastructure program implementing agencies;

3. Update the alphalist and socio-economic profiles of beneficiaries to
be resettled as part of the National Resettlement Program; and

4. Create a grievance and redress system which shall be part of the
monitoring and evaluation system of the implementation of this
program.

c) The Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) shall enroll the beneficiaries
to the HDMF system so as to facilitate their entry in to the formal housing
market.

d) The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) shall create
social preparation programs which shall include training programs for the
benefit of the beneficiaries in order for them to utilize the benefits granted
to them under this program,

e) The Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) shall


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1. Assist the DSWD in the creation of social preparation programs for
the beneficiaries;

2. Conduct social preparation activities in coordination with the local
government units.

f) The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) shall
provide skills training to beneficiaries.

g) The local government units (LGU) shall:

1. Maintain a registry of all lessors in their respective areas that shall
be accessible to the public;

2. Assist the NHA in the conduct of census and tagging of ISFs in need
of immediate resettlement;

3. Assist the DSWD and PCUP jn the conduct of social preparation
activities;

4. Contain the vacated areas af ISFs in order to achieve the objectives
of this program;

5. Assist the DSWD in the monitoring and evaluating the
implementation of this program; and

6. Conduct field valuation of beneficiaries and their respective lessors
in the rental housing units.

SECTION 9. Additional Positions and Personnel for the DHSUD. - The
DSHUD shall, in accordance with civil service rules, create positions and enlist additional
personnel to ensure the proper Implementation of this Act.

SECTION 10. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the effective
implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current appropriations for the
DHSUD. Thereafter, such amounts as necessary for its continued implementation shall
be included in the General Appropriations Act.

SECTION 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The DHSUD, in
coordination with relevant government agencies, shall issue the rules and regulations
necessary for the implementation of this Act within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of
this Act.

SECTION 12, Mandatory Review on the Implementation of this Act. - The
DHSUD shall submit to the Congress a report on the implementation of this program once
a year from the date of effectivity of this Act.


SECTION 13. Separability Clause. — If any provision of this Actis dectared invalid
or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid and
subsisting

SECTION 14. Repeating Clause. — All acts, executive orders, memorandum
circulars/quidelines and other issuances or parts thereof, which are inconsistent with this
Act, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 15. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation,

Approved.