TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session )
TIME
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

HOUSE BILL No._419

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVES LANI MERCADO-REVILLA,
BRYAN B. REVILLA and RAMON JOLO B. REVILLA Ill

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND
COMMUNITIES IN THE COUNTRY

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Climate change is an ongoing global phenomenon, and amidst urbanization and
population explosion the challenge has become too great for the concerned
agencies and public officials to face. The Philippines is no exception. As cities
continue to expand to accommodate growing populations, the challenges of traffic
congestion, environmental degradation, inadequate housing, poor waste
management leading to flooding, and strained public services have become
increasingly urgent. These issues threaten not only the quality of life of urban
dwellers, but also the long-term economic and environmental sustainability of the
nation.

This measure seeks to provide a clear public policy framework for the development
of sustainable cities and communities in the Philippines, aligning with Sustainable
Development Goal (SDG) 11 of the United Nations, which aims to “make cities and
human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.” It also aims to
strengthen inter-agency coordination and provide capacity-building for local
government units (LGUs) in order to effectively implement sustainability projects.
This guarantees equitable access to basic services, housing, and livelihood
opportunities for all residents, particularly the marginalized.

By passing this measure, the government affirms its commitment to building cities
that are not only engines of economic growth but also livable, environmentally
sound, and socially-inclusive. The development of sustainable cities and
communities is not merely a policy choice — it is a necessary step towards securing
the future of the Filipino people and the generations to come.

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Building sustainable cities is a crucial and indispensable strategy for attaining
balance between ecology and progress. These offer a viable path to a healthier and
more resilient and equitable future for all. Sustainable cities offer an option to a
progressive city where biodiversity is still preserved and the residents are enjoined to
participate in sustainable practices like proper waste and water management, waste
reduction from source, efficient resource utilization and collaborate in preserving our
natural resources for the future generation.

In view of the foregoing, approval of this measure is earnestly sought.

REP. LANI MI “ADO - REVILLA , MSLG, DM (hc)

Representative
2 District of Cavite

(AN B. REVILLA REP. RAMO! LO REVILLA I I

Representative Representative
AGIMAT Partylist 15 District of Cavite


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

HOUSE BILL No. 419

Introduced by REPRESENTATIVES LANI MERCADO-REVILLA, BRYAN B.
REVILLA and RAMON JOLO B. REVILLA IIt

ANACT
PROVIDING FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF SUSTAINABLE CITIES AND
COMMUNITIES IN THE COUNTRY

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

Section 1. Short Title. -This Act shall be known as the “Sustainable Cities and
Communities Act”.

Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State shall, pursuant to the constitutional
mandate to undertake a continuing program of urban land reform and housing which
will make available to underprivileged and homeless citizens decent and affordable
housing, access to basic services, and adequate employment opportunities, and in
consonance with the constitutional guarantees on social justice, general welfare,
public health and ecological balance, recognize the right to the city of all which
encompasses the collective access to sustainable resources, meaningful
participation in urban planning and governance, and social inclusion.

It is likewise declared the policy of the State to promote inclusive, resilient, and
sustainable urban development.

To these ends, the State shall ensure the inclusive use of urban space for housing
and livelihood, improve access to basic services, develop integrated public
transportation systems and green infrastructures, protect ecosystems, and manage
risks to climate change and disasters.

Further, the State shall pursue programs to celebrate diversity and cultural heritage,
foster creativity, innovation and participation in urban planning and policy- making,
and maintain public order and safety through the prevention of crime, violence and


discrimination.

Sec. 3. Coverage. - All cities and municipalities, with a majority of barangays
classified as urban by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), hereinafter referred to
as urban areas, are hereby mandated to align their plans, programs and activities
towards the full implementation of this Act.

Sec. 4. Guiding Framework for Sustainable Cities and Communities. - To fulfill its

economic, political and social functions, a local government unit covered under this

Act shall conform with and implement plans, programs and activities, guided by

Ambisyon 2040, the Philippine Standards for Sustainable Cities and Communities,

and the following guiding principles:

a) Inclusive urban circular economy which creates decent jobs with fair wages;
supports entrepreneurship, creativity and innovation; ensures safe and non-
discriminatory working environments; and promotes resource-efficient
industries and consumption;

b) Spatial justice which promotes multiple use of land to prevent forced evictions,
displacement, marginalization, and gentrification; and ensures that urban
development provides vulnerable and marginalized sectors the access to
safe, adequate, and affordable housing under different tenurial
arrangements, giving priority to on-site resettlement, as well as universal
healthcare, accessible education, adequate infrastructures, sustainable
livelihoods, food security and nutrition; and safe and inclusive public spaces
that foster social cohesion;

©) Urban renewal which includes slum upgrading to improve housing, infrastructures
and services; urban greening, including the promotion of urban agriculture
for food security and communal wellness; and the development of inclusive,
safe, accessible and enjoyable open spaces and parks;

d) Urban mobility and connectivity which provides for inclusive, safe, accessible,
affordable, efficient and sustainable public transportation through the
development of adequate transportation infrastructures, utilities and
intermodal transportation systems, including non-motorized modes of
transportation to strengthen global and urban-rural linkages and
management;

) Digital connectivity through the establishment and maintenance of information and
communications technology (ICT) Infrastructure and fast, secure, stable,
and affordable internet connectivity to strengthen global and urban-rural
linkages;

f) Urban safety which ensures freedom of all persons, regardless of gender, age,
health status, income, nationality, ethnicity, and political, religious or sexual
orientation from crimes and all forms of violence and discrimination in the
workplace and public spaces;


9) Ecological balance which requires the sustainable management of natural
resources; protection and conservation of biodiversity, natural ecosystems
and landscapes; proper waste management and sanitation; provision of
green infrastructures; and the development and use of renewable energy
sources in transportation, industry and households to reduce carbon
footprint and improve water and air quality;

h) Disaster resilience and climate change adaptation by capacitating urban areas to
adapt to and manage threats and risks posed by climate change and
disasters upon the citizenry, especiaily vulnerable groups, and to facilitate
post-disaster rehabilitation and recovery;

i) Cultural diversity which respects, protects, and promotes the diverse livelihoods,
customs, memory, identities, expressions, and sociocultural norms of Its
inhabitants; the preservation of tangible cultural heritage, such as artistic
creations, historical sites and monuments; and safeguards intangible
cultural heritage, such as oral traditions, performing arts, indigenous
knowledge and traditional skills, as well as instruments, objects, artifacts
and cultural spaces associated therewith;

}) Participatory urban governance which involves political participation in the
formulation, implementation, and monitoring of urban policies, and the
budgeting or urban programs to promote transparency, effectiveness, and
inclusiveness in the engagement of a diverse set of inhabitants and their
organizations, especially of urban poor and marginalized groups, upholding
communal spirit and supporting community-building; and

k) Alignment of economic, social and environmental policies between and among
national, regional, city and municipal goverment units, facilitating the
achievement of the goals of each unit.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), in
consultation with relevant government agencies, local government units, civil society
organizations, the private sector and the academe, within one hundred eighty (180)
days from the effectivity of this Act, shall harmonize existing national housing and
urban development plans with this Act and formulate, in coordination with the
Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), the National Economic and
Development Authority (NEDA), and the PSA, a National Housing and Urban
Development Sector Plan (NHUDSP) to operationalize the goals of this Act, taking
into consideration the unique and evolving economic, social and institutional contexts
of the country.

The NHUDSP shall provide short-, medium-, and long-term strategic plans to
achieve the goals of this Act.

The NHUDSP shall also generate estimates and projections to determine present
and future demand for infrastructures and services In urban areas, and shalt identify


policy and program interventions to address challenges to sustainable urban
development, and specific periodic targets and indicators and investment
requirements thereof.

Sec. 5. Targets and Indicators. - In preparing the NHUDSP, the DHSUD, NEDA,
DILG and the PSA shall be guided by the principles provided under Section 4 of this
Act, as well as the targets and indicators set forth in the 2030 Agenda for
Sustainable Development and the New Urban Agenda of the United Nations:

a) Urban population living in slums — measured in terms of proportion of urban
population living in slums, informal settlements or inadequate housing;

b) Public transport access — measured in terms of proportion of population that has
convenient access to public transport, by sex, age, income group, and
persons with disability;

©) Sustainable urbanization rates - measured in terms of ratio of land consumption
rate to population growth rate;

d) Urban planning and management - measured in terms of proportion of cities with
a direct participation structure of civil society In urban planning and
management that operate regularly and democratically;

e) Protecting cultural heritage - measured in terms of total public and private
expenditure per capita spent on the preservation, protection and
conservation of all cultural and natural heritage:

f) Deaths and injuries from disasters - measured in terms of number of deaths,
missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per
100,000 population;

g) Economic losses from disasters - measured in terms of direct economic
loss in relation to global gross domestic product, damage to critical
infrastructure and number of disruptions to basic services, attributed to
disasters;

h) Solid waste management - measured in terms of proportion of urban solid waste
regularly collected and with adequate final discharge out of total urban solid
waste generated;

i) Urban air quality - measured in terms of the annual mean levels of fine
particulate matter;

j) Open spaces in cities - measured in terms of average share of the built-up area of
Gities that is open for public use for all, by sex, age and persons with
disability;



k) Sate spaces in cities - measured in terms of proportion of persons who are victims
of physical or sexual harassment, by sex, age, persons with disability, and
place of occurrence, in the previous twelve (12) months;

1) Urban and regional planning - measured in terms of proportion of population living
in cities that implement urban and regional development plans integrating
Population projections and resource needs, by size of city;

m) Integrated disaster risk management - measured in terms of adoption and
implementation of national disaster risk reduction strategies;

n) Local disaster risk management - measured in terms of adoption and
implementation of local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national
disaster risk reduction strategies;

©) Urban economy - measured in terms of percentage of the labor force in
the education and Research and Development sectors, and unemployment
rate and number of businesses;

P) Innovation-geared education - measured in terms of the number of Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics higher education degree
programs being offered by an educational institution in the city;

4) Use of renewable energy - measured in terms of percentage of consumed energy
from renewable sources;

1) Universal healthcare - measured in terms of number of in-patient hospital beds
and physicians;

s) Food security - measured in terms of percentage of city budget spent on initiatives
on urban agriculture;

) Water and wastewater management - measured in terms of water consumption
per capita, percentage of households with access to basic water supply,
percentage of treated wastewater that is reused;

) Access to ICT services - measured in terms of proportion of population that has
access to fast, secure, stable, and affordable intemet services to cater and
accommodate online or digital transactions or services necessary for the
conduct of daily activities in the modern society; and

v) Such other targets and indicators ad determined by the DHSUD, NEDA, DILG,
and PSA consistent with the principles that guide sustainable cities and
communities as provided in Section 4 of this Act: Provided, That at any
time, but not more than once every five years, such targets and indicators
may be reviewed or revised as the need arises to conform to changes and


new developments brought about by the latest trends in institutionalizing
sustainable cities and communities.

Sec. 6. Urban Planning and Urban Development - The DHSUD shall, in coordination
with NEDA, DILG and Department of Public Works and Highways, provide technical
assistance to local government units in the integration of the pertinent provisions of
this Act, the National Urban Development and Housing Framework, and the
NHUDSP in their Annual Development Plans, Annual Investment Plans, Physical
Framework Plans, Development Master Plans, Comprehensive Land Use Plans,
Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Plans, and similar plans.

National agencies and local govemment units shall ensure the genuine and
adequate participation in urban, regional, spatial, and environmental planning:
Provided, That access to information, official records, public records and to
documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions or decisions, and
research data related to urban development to enable informed participation in the
decision-making shall be made available pursuant to Section 7, Article III of the 1987
Constitution.

Sec. 7. Incentives for Sustainable Cities. - The DILG and the Department of Budget
and Management (DBM), shall incorporate the annual targets set by DHSUD, DILG
and NEDA in the awarding of the Seal of Good Local Governance under Republic
Act No. 11292, otherwise known as "The Seal of Good Local Governance Act of
2019."

Sec. 8. Public Participation. - National agencies and local goverment units shall

ensure the genuine and adequate participation in urban, regional, spatial, and

environmental planning through the following:

a) —_ Incentives for the private sector - the Department of Finance shall provide
incentives to the participation of the private sector in the achievement of the
goals identified under this Act, in accordance with Republic Act No. 10771,
otherwise known as the "Philippine Green Jobs Act of 2016";

b) Capacity building for communities - the DHSUD shall provide technical
assistance to homeowners’ associations, neighborhood associations,
people's organizations, and other local organizations to empower them as
partners in achieving the goals of this Act, and enable them to undertake
community-level actions towards becoming sustainable communities; and

) __ Informed participation - information, education and communication materials
shall be developed to make the NHUDSP accessible to all. Every Filipino
shall have access to information, official records, public records and to
documents and papers pertaining to official acts, transactions or decisions,
and research data related to urban development to enable informed
Participation in the decision-making process.


Sec. 9. Report to Congress. - The DHSUD, NEDA and DILG shall submit an annual
report on the performance of their respective duties provided for under this Act and
the compliance of cities and urban municipalities to the provisions of this Act to the
Congress of the Philippines, through the Committee on Housing and Urban
Development of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Urban
Planning, Housing and Resettlement of the Senate.

Sec. 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). - Within six (6) months from the
effectivity of this Act, the DHSUD, in consultation with the NEDA, DILG, PSA,
League of Cities of the Philippines, League of Municipalities of the Philippines, civil
society organizations, the private sector and the academe, shall promulgate the
implementing rules and regulations for the effective implementation of this Act.

Sec. 11. Separability Clause. - If any part or provision of this Act is declared
unconstitutional or invalid, other parts or provisions thereof which are not affected
thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.

Sec. 12. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and
regulations or other issuances or parts thereof, inconsistent with this Act, are hereby
repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

Sec. 13. 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,