HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

RECEIVED
10 AUG 2016

:
Republic of the Philippine: = iF
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES T=
Quezon City BY:

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS regis TR
First Regular Session

House BILL No. 280

Introduced by Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo

EXPLANATORY NOTE.

It is quite an altruism that the path to owning a house by an employee leads back to the door step of
the employer. This simply means that individuals as long as gainfully employed will have the
opportunities at their disposal for them to own a house more so if the whole concept of mass housing
for interested and qualified individuals is institutionalized and falls under the mandate of the local
government units in Philippine cities and provinces and as part of corporate social responsibilty in the
case of the private sector (i.e., industrial firms, business firms).

In this regard, the national government seems to have dropped the ball. Some private companies
have taken the initiative to embark on mass housing for their employees and Meralco villages are a
good example of what the company does for its employees. Likewise, certain public and private
entities do provide mass housing for their public and private employees, respectively. Another
example are the GSIS villages and so on. This seems to be based on the health program of ‘rewards
for work’ and the government at both local and national levels together with the private sector should
walk hand in hand to providing mass housing opportunities to employees.

This humble measure advocates that the "reward for work" must be a decent, liveable wage and
affordable housing. No self-respecting sector, public or private, must go against what this authors
calls ‘pathways-to-housing schemes’ that first and foremost consider that one’s gainful employment
should in fact be a pathway that leads to somewhere. In other words, on the other side of
employment is the open opportunity to owning a house.

For example, such agencies that could plan for their employees are those of the AFP and PNP that
may have already initiated similar housing programs as part of the benefits of their armed and
uniformed personnel as well as perhaps for their civilian employees,

Therefore, this bill proposes that mass housing be part of the mandate of the local government units
and their private sector counterparts as a matter of employee benefits. Whenever practicable, the
government may in fact subsidize these innovative schemes with low interests and on the private
sector with a similar arrangement or contractual terms,

As the terms and conditions sought to be prescribed and adopted under proposed measure
should be described as a type of ‘regulatory sociability’ or ‘collaborative segulation,” it shall be thé
policy in public and private spheres to reward employees with housing,/It is envisioned that if thi
scheme is replicated in all local government units, the problem of Homelessness through mass

housing would have been addressed more effectively.

‘The urgent consideration of this instant measure is therefore earnesfly sought.

CASTELO



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

2806

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Rep. Winston “Winnie” Castelo

AN ACT
MANDATING THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNITS TO INSTITUTIONALIZE REWARDS
FOR WORK THROUGH ‘PATHWAYS-TO-HOUSING SCHEMES’ ENCOURAGING
THEREBY THE PRIVATE SECTOR TO ADOPT THIS INITIATIVE INTO THEIR
CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY

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

SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as the “Pathways-to-Housing Schemes Act of
2016.”

SEC. 2. All local government units in cities and provinces throughout the country
shall be mandated to institutionalize ‘pathways-to-housing schemes’ encouraging thereby
the private sector to adopt the same into their corporate social responsibility,

SEC. 3. Under this Act, employees in the public and private sectors, enjoy as a
matter of entitlement, the privilege to own a house of their own as rewards for their work.

Thereupon, their employers should initiate such ‘pathways-to-housing’ under which
arrangement employers shall grant unto their employees low interest or other similar
arrangement or repayment terms and conditions.

SEC. 4. This Act shall take effect thirty (30) days following its publication in the
Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,