NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE
s. No. 2144
23 may-9 A8 'AA
RECEIVED BY;
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
AN ACT
STRENGTHENING THE RIGHT OF GOVERNMENT TO EXPROPRIATE LANDS 
FOR SOCIALIZED HOUSING, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 9, 
10, AND 11 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7279, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 
"URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING ACT OF 1992"
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing (4PH) program is the flagship 
program of President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. regarding socialized housing. It is part of 
administration's socioeconomic agenda that focuses on providing Filipinos with better 
living conditions by establishing inclusive, livable, and sustainable settlements and 
well-planned communities. It aims to build one (1) million housing units each year or 
six (6) million homes in six (6) years to address the country's housing backlog.
To address the problem usually encountered in socialized housing, this bill 
proposes to strengthen and boost the government's socialized housing program and 
will address the country's worsening housing problem since this will relax rules of 
land acquisition. It seeks to amend Sections 9, 10, and 11 of Republic Act 7279, 
otherwise known as the "Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992."
The amendment to Section 9, which is entitled "Acquisition of Land for 
Socialized Housing," provides that the following lands may be acquired for socialized 
housing: (a) Those owned by the Government or any of Its subdivisions.


instrumentalities, or agencies, including government-owned or-controlled 
corporations and their subsidiaries; (b) Alienable lands of the public domain; (c) 
Unregistered or abandoned and idle lands; (d) Those within the declared Areas for 
Priority Development, Zonal Improvement Program sites, and Slum Improvement 
and Resettlement Programs sites which have not yet been acquired; (e) Bagong 
Lipunan Improvement of Sites and Services or BLISS sites which have not yet been 
acquired; and (f) Privately-owned lands.
The power to identify and to prioritize the particular area to be acquired shall 
be with the local government unit or the proper agency acquiring land for socialized 
housing. For this purpose, the enumeration in this section shall not, in any way, be 
interpreted as setting an order of priority, the amendment provides.
The amendment to Section 10 of RA 7279 entitled "Modes of Land 
Acquisition" provides that the modes of acquiring lands shall include, among others, 
community mortgage, land swapping, land assembly or consolidation, land banking, 
donation to the government, joint-venture agreement, negotiated purchase, and 
expropriation.
Where expropriation is resorted to, parcels of lands owned by small property 
owners shall be exempted for purposes of the Act. Abandoned property, as herein 
defined, shall be reverted and escheated to the State in a proceeding analogous to 
the procedure laid down in Rule 91 of the Rules of Court. For the purpose of 
socialized housing, government-owned and foreclosed properties shall be acquired 
by local government units, or by the National Housing Authority primarily through 
negotiated purchase provided that qualified beneficiaries who are actual occupants 
of the land shall be given the right of first refusal.
The bill also amends Section 11 entitled "Expropriation of Idle Lands" so that 
all idle lands in urban and urbanized areas, as defined and identified in accordance 
with the Act, shall be expropriated and shall form part of the public domain.


These lands shall be disposed of or utilized by the government for such 
purposes that conform with their land use plans. Expropriation proceedings shall be 
instituted if, after the lapse of one year following receipt of notice of acquisition, the 
owner fails to introduce improvements as defined in Section 3(f) hereof, except in 
the case of force majeure and other fortuitous events. Exempted from this provision, 
however, are residential lands owned by small property owners.
In view of the foregoing, the immediate passage of this bill is highly 
recommended.
INGGpY EJERCITO ESTRADA


NINETEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
)
SENATE
S. No. 2144
i.n ^cnaie
fe-sov^/t0ffifr of li;e f.Pfavp
23 may-9 A 8:44
RECEiv'tO BV
Introduced by Senator Jinggoy Ejercito Estrada
AN ACT
STRENGTHENING THE RIGHT OF GOVERNMENT TO EXPROPRIATE LANDS 
FOR SOCIALIZED HOUSING, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE SECTIONS 9, 
10, AND 11 OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 7279, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE 
"URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING ACT OF 1992"
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
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Section 1. Sections 9, 10, and 11 of Republic Act No. 7279 are hereby
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amended to read as follows:
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"Sec. 9. [PrioritiGS-in—the] Acquisition of Land FOR
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SOCIALIZED HOUSING. - [Lands for socialized housing shall
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be-acquffcd in the following order] THE FOLLOWING LANDS
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MAY BE ACQUIRED FOR SOCIALIZED HOUSING:
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"(a) Those owned by the Government or any of its
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subdivisions, instrumentalities, 
or 
agencies, including
9 
government-owned 
or -controlled corporations 
and their
10 
subsidiaries;
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"(b) Alienable lands of the public domain;
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"(c) Unregistered or abandoned and idle lands;
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"(d) Those within the declared Areas for Priority
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Development, Zonal Improvement Program sites, and Slum
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Improvement and Resettlement Program sites which have not
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yet been acquired;


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"(e) Bagong Lipunan Improvement of Sites and Services 
or BLISS sites which have not yet been acquired; and,
"(f) Privately-owned lands.
"[Where on-site development--is-found- mare practicabiG 
and advantageous to-thG-beneficiariGSrthe-prioHties mentioned
in-this section shall not apply. The local -government units shall
give-budgetary priority to on-site development of government
lands.] THE POWER TO IDENTIFY AND TO PRIORITIZE 
THE PARTICULAR AREA TO BE ACQUIRED SHALL BE 
WITH THE LOCAL GOVERNMENT UNIT OR THE PROPER 
AGENCY ACQUIRING LAND FOR SOCIALIZED HOUSING. 
FOR THIS PURPOSE, THE ENUMERATION IN THIS 
SECTION SHALL NOT, IN ANY WAY, BE INTERPRETED AS 
SETTING AN ORDER OF PRIORITY."
"Sec. 10. Modes of Land Acquisition. - The modes of 
acquiring lands for purposes of this Act shall include, among 
others, community mortgage, land swapping, land assembly or 
consolidation, land banking, donation to the government, joint- 
venture agreement, negotiated purchase, and expropriation: 
Provided, [however. That expropriation shall be-resorted to only 
when- other-modes of acquisition—have—been exhausted:
Provided, further,] That where expropriation is resorted to, 
parcels of land owned by small property owners shall be 
exempted for purposes of this Act: Provided, [finallyy] 
FURTHER, That abandoned property, as herein defined, shall 
be reverted and escheated to the State in a proceeding 
analogous to the procedure laid down in Rule 91 of the Rules of 
Court.
"For the purpose of socialized housing, government- 
owned and foreclosed properties shall be acquired by the local 
government units, or by the National Housing Authority 
primarily through negotiated purchase: Provided, That qualified


1 
beneficiaries who are actual occupants of the land shall be
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given the right of first refusal."
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"Sec. 11. Expropriation of Idie Lands. - All idle lands in
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urban and urbanizable areas, as defined and identified in
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accordance with this Act, shall be expropriated and shall form
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part of the public domain. These lands shall be disposed of or
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utilized by the Government for such purposes that conform with
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their land use plans. Expropriation proceedings shall be
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instituted if, after the lapse of one (1) year following receipt of
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notice of acquisition, the owner fails to introduce improvements
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as defined in Section 3(f) hereof, except in the case of force
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majeure and other fortuitous events. Exempted from this
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provision, however, are residential lands owned by small
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property owners [or those the ownership of which is subject ef
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a pending litigation]."
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Sec. 2. Separability Clause. - If any provision or part hereof is held invalid or
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unconstitutional, the remainder of the law or the provision or part not otherwise
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affected shall remain valid and subsisting.
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Sec. 3. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance,
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executive order, letter of instruction, administrative order, rule, or regulation
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contrary to or inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed,
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modified, or amended accordingly.
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Sec. 4. 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,