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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
House Bill No. __________ 
Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative 
HON. MANUEL DG. CABOCHAN III 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Article II, Section 9 of the 1987 Constitution affirms that: 
“The State shall promote a just and dynamic social order that will ensure the 
prosperity and independence of the nation and free the people from poverty 
through policies that provide adequate social services, promote full 
employment, a rising standard of living, and an improved quality of life for all.” 
In 2007, more than half the world’s population was living in cities.1 It was estimated 
that by 2050, around 70% of the world’s population would live in cities. Cities around 
the world today already consume 80% of the global material and energy supplies and 
produce 75% of all carbon emissions due to urbanization.2 
The Philippines is considered one of the fastest urbanizing countries in Southeast Asia. 
In 2015, the level of urbanization stands at 51.2 percent.3 The rapid urbanization of 
cities and metropolitan areas exerts pressure on the natural environment, affordability 
1 United Nations. SDG Goal 11. Make cities and human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable. Information 
retrieved from https://www.un.org/sustainabledevelopment/cities/ 
2 Ibid. 
3 Philippine Statistics Authority. Levels of Urbanization in the Philippines reached 51.2 percent. Information retrieved from 
https://psa.gov.ph/content/urban-population-philippines-results-2015-census-population. Dated March 21, 2019 
October 28, 2021
12:25 am
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of housing and services, public safety, and health. Moreover, the highly populated and 
concentrated urbanized areas become more vulnerable to disasters and the effects of 
climate change. 
Sustainability is the key to resolve the growing challenges of urbanization. Hence, it is 
important to make our cities sustainable to ensure an inclusive, safe, and resilient 
future. In pursuance to our firm commitment to the United Nations Sustainable 
Development Goals (SDGs), this bill seeks to institutionalize the policy framework for 
creating sustainable cities that would ensure the continuing growth of our country. 
In view of the foregoing, the immediate approval of this bill is earnestly sought. 
MANUEL DG. CABOCHAN III 
Representative 
Magdalo Para Sa Pilipino Party-List 


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REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS 
Third Regular Session 
House Bill No. __________ 
Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative 
HON. MANUEL DG. CABOCHAN III 
AN ACT 
PROVIDING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND 
COMMUNITIES IN THE COUNTRY, 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 "Sustainable Cities and 
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Communities Act". 
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Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy.– The 1987 Constitution mandates the 
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undertaking of a program of urban land reform and housing which will make decent 
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housing and basic services available at affordable cost to underprivileged and 
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homeless citizens in urban centers and resettlements areas, and ensure the 
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availability of employment opportunities for them. Pursuant thereto, it is hereby 
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declared the policy of the State to make cities safe and sustainable by ensuring 
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access to safe and affordable housing, and upgrading slum settlements. The State 
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shall likewise invest in public transport, create green public spaces, and improve 
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urban planning and management in a way that is both participatory and inclusive. 
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Sec. 3. Model for Sustainable Cities and Communities.— Existing cities and 
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communities shall transition into sustainable cities and communities. A sustainable 
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city or community shall have the following: 
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(a) 
Affordable housing; 
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(b) 
Accessible healthcare services and facilities; 
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(c) 
Accessible social services to all, especially the vulnerable and 
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disadvantaged; 
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(d) 
Child care facilities, youth centers, centers for senior citizens and other 
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sectors; 
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(e) 
Efficient, accessible, and affordable public transport system; 
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(f) 
Alternative means of getting from one place to another, other than 
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private and public vehicles, such as by walking, biking, using scooters, 
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and other eco-friendly and non-motorized modes; 
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(g) 
Safe, accessible, and enjoyable areas of open space; 
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(h) 
Preference for use of renewable resources; 
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(i) 
Waste management system, where wasted is recycled, wherever 
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possible; 
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(j) 
Energy efficient homes; 
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(k) 
Strong community linkages to deal with issues such as peace and 
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order; and 
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(l) 
Access to sports and cultural activities. 
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Sec. 4. Indicators.— The National Economic and Development Authority 
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(NEDA) shall set targets based on the following indicators, taking into consideration 
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Goal No. 11 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda, to determine 
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if a city or community has fully transitioned into a sustainable city or community: 
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(a) 
Urban population living in slums – measured in terms of proportion of 
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urban population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate 
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housing; 
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(b) 
Public transport access – measured in terms of proportion of 
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population that has convenient access to public transport, by sex, age 
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and persons with disabilities; 
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(c) 
Sustainable urbanization rates – measured in terms of ratio of land 
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consumption rate to population growth rate; 
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(d) 
Urban planning management – measured in terms of proportion of 
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cities with a direct participation structure of civil society in urban 
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planning and management that operate regularly and democratically; 
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(e) 
Protecting cultural heritage – measured in terms of total public and 
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private expenditure per capita spent on the preservation, protection 
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and conservation of all cultural and natural heritage; 
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(f) 
Deaths and injuries from natural disasters – measured in terms of 
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number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons 
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attributed to disasters per 100,000 population; 
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(g) 
Economic losses from natural disasters – measured in terms of direct 
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economic loss in relation to global GDP, damage to critical 
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infrastructure and number of disruptions to basic services, attributed 
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to disasters; 
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(h) 
Solid waste management – measured in terms of proportion of urban 
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solid waste regularly collected and with adequate final discharge out 
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of total urban solid waste generated; 
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(i) 
Urban air pollution – measured in terms of the annual mean levels of 
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fine particulate matter; 
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(j) 
Open spaces in cities – measured in terms of average share of the 
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built-up area of cities that is open space for public use for all, by sex, 
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age and persons with disabilities; 
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(k) 
Safe spaces in cities – measured in terms of proportion of persons 
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victim of physical or sexual harassment, by sex, age, disability status 
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and place of occurrence, in the previous 12 months; 
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(l) 
Urban and regional planning – measured in terms of proportion of 
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population living in cities that implement urban and regional 
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development plans integrating population projections and resource 
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needs, by size of city; 
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(m) 
Integrated disaster risk management – measured in terms of adoption 
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and implementation of national disaster risk reduction strategies; 
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(n) 
Local disaster risk management – measured in terms of adoption and 
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implementation of local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with 
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national disaster risk reduction strategies; and 
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(o) 
Such other targets based on indicators to be determined by NEDA 
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consistent with the model of sustainable cities and communities 
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provided in Section 3 of this Act. 
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Sec. 5. Support from National Government.—The Department of Interior 
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and Local Government (DILG) shall provide the necessary technical assistance and 
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resource augmentation to LGUs to assist them in transitioning into sustainable 
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cities and communities. The NEDA and other related agencies are also hereby 
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mandated to extend the necessary support and provide relevant input towards 
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the effective implementation of this Act. 
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Sec. 6. Incentives for Transitioning into Sustainable Cities or 
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Communities.— The DILG shall develop a grant or cash award incentive scheme 
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for LGUs that are able to achieve their annual targets set by NEDA related to 
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transitioning into sustainable cities and communities. 
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Sec. 7. Authority to Enter into Contracts and Agreements.— LGUs are 
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hereby authorized to enter into contracts or agreements and receive grants, as 
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may be necessary for the attainment of the objective of this Act. 
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Sec. 8. Separability Clause.— If any provision of this Act is declared 
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unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, the validity of the other provisions shall not 
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be affected thereby. 
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Sec. 9. Repealing Clause.— All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations 
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or parts thereof inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or modified 
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accordingly. 
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Sec. 10. Effectivity.— This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days from 
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its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. 
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Approved,