EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
Third Regular Session 
)
SENATE
S.B. No. 2463
RECEIVED
E-FILED
date:
8:00 a.m.
INTRODUCED BY: SENATOR EMMANUEL D. PACQUIAO
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A FREE PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAM, AMENDING 
FOR THAT PURl>OSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11201, AND FOR OTHER FURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
. 
, Section 9, .Article XIII of the 1987 Constiluiion primarily provides that: “The Slate
shall,, by law,, and for the common good, undertake, in cooperation with the private sector, a 
continuing,program of urban land reform and housing which will make available at affordable 
cost, decent housing and basic services to underprivileged and homeless citizens in urban 
centers and resettlements areas. It shall also promote adequate employment opportunities to 
such citizens.”
The State’s Constitutional provisions approximate the United Nations’ Universal 
Declaration of Human Rights Section 25 that provides in part that: “Everyone has the right to 
a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and of his family, 
including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services.”
In echoing, the U. N. Declaration, the U. N. Committee on Economic. Social and 
Cultural Rights stresses that the right to adequate housing should be seen as the right to live 
somewhere in security, peace and dignity, that among others, includes the elcmei’ls of security 
of tenure and equal and non-discriminatory access to adequate housing.
Pursuant to the country’s Constitutional mandate. Congress enacted Republic Act No. 
7279, otherwise known as "AN ACT TO PROVIDE FOR A COMPREHENSIVE AND 
CONTINUING URBAN DEVELOPMENT AND HOUSING PROGRAM. ESTABLISH 
THE MECHANISM FOR ITS IMPLEMENTATION, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES,” 
which reiterated among its laudable objectives the same eminent purpose t.o "[ujplift the 
conditions of the underprivileged and homeless citizens in urban areas and in resettlement areas 
by making available to them decent housing at affordable cost, basic services, and employment 
opportunities;”
R. A. No. 7279 also importantly stressed the policy and objective to “[a]dopl 
workable policies to regulate and direct urban growah and expansion towards a dispersed urban 
net and more balanced urban-rural interdependence;”


Durtny ihe 17'h Congress, this humble representation co-aulhored Senate Bill No. 328 
entitled “AN ACT CREATING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUMAN SETTLEMENT AND 
URBAN DEVEOPMENT, DEFINING ITS MANDATES, POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, 
PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES."’
One of the goals of SBN 328 is to resolve the prevailing and worsening housing 
backlog in the country by providing a cejitralized agency that would have the power of control 
and supervision among all the housing agencies in the government;
In 2019, Congress enacted Republic Act No. 11201, otherwise known as “AN ACT 
CREATING THE DEPARTMENT OF HUTvIAN SETTLEMENTS AND URBAN 
DEVELOPMENT, DEFINING ITS MANDATE, POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, AND 
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFORE,” which created the Department of Human 
Settlements and Urban Development through the consolidation of the Housing and Urban 
Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory 
Boa.rd (HLUPJ3), and which intended the Department to become the primany national 
government entity responsible for the management of housing, human settlement and urban 
development;
Despite these legislative refonns, millions of Filipino families are still recognized to 
be homeless or considered as informal settlers, mainly in urban centers led by Metro Manila 
and other metropolitan areas or urban cities, and these include the most vulnerable and 
marginalized groups;
the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development has reported that the 
country’s housing backlog at last estimate stood at 6.75 million units, and worse, the 
Department projects that the number could balloon to 22 million units in 2040 if not “properly 
addressed today;”
This retlccts the dehumanizing state of poverty in the country, as well as the wide 
cleavage of the development imbalance between urban and rural areas, both of which the 
government must urgently address in order to fulfill its mandate of uplifting the conditions of 
the underprivileged and homeless citizens, providing them with broader access to economic 
opportunities and ensuring the promotion and protection of their legitimate collective interests;
A detached approach to solving the twin challenges of the housing shortage in urban 
centers and of the imbalance in urban-rural interdependence and development can only worsen 
both problems.
Concomitant to the foregoing, and in line with the mandatory review of the 
implementation of Republic Act No. 11201, otherwise known as the Department of Human 
Settlements and Urban Development Act, the amendment of the said Act is proposed in order 
to address the recognized need of the homeless, and especially those belonging to the most 
vulnerable and marginalized groups, thereby giving new life to President Ramon Magsaysay’s 
enunciated ideal that: 'Those who have less in life should have more in law.”
In view of the foregoing, early approval of this bill is requested.
■ 2


EMM
CQUIAO


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPI BLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
Thin! Regular Session 
)
SENATE 
S.B.No. 2463
RnCEIVtDi-^
E-FILED ^-Z.\ 
rr. Dec 09 2021 m]
(/yi
time:
8:00 a.m.
NOtX
INTRODUCED BY: SENATOR EMMANUEL D. PACQUIAO
AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A FREE PUBLIC HOUSING PROGRAM, AMENDING 
FOR THAT PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11201, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress 
assembled:
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Section 1. Title of the Act. - This Act shall be known as "The Free Public Housing Act."
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Section 2. Section 2 of Republic Act No. 11201, otherwise known as the Department of Human
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Settlements and Urban Development Act, is hereby amended to read as follows:
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Section 2. Declaration of Policy. - The Slate shall, pursuant to Section 
9, Article XIII of the Constitution, ensure that underprivileged and homeless 
citizens, AND ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM THE MOST 
VULNERABLE AND MARGINALIZED GROUPS, HAVE EQUAL AND 
NON-DISCRIMINATORY ACCESS TO FREE PUBLIC HOUSING 
WITH A SECURITY OF TENURE THAT IS PROGUAMMEDi IN 
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GOVERNMENT, THEREBY ENSURING 
LEGAL PROTECTION AGAINST FORCED EVICTIONS, 
HARASSMENT AND OTHER THRE.VTS, AND FACILITATING THE 
AVAILABILITY OF SERVICES AND FACILITIES FOR BETTER 
HABITATION. AS SUCH, THE HOMELESS SHALL BE ASSISTED 
WITH an adequate, safe, secure, habitable, sustainable, resilient and affordable 
home. The Stale shall, by law and for the common good, undertake, in 
cooperation with the private sector, a continuing program of housing and urban 
development which shall make available |al affordable-cost,-} decent housing 
and basic services to underprivileged and homeless citizens in urban centers and 
resettlement areas. {It shall also promote adequate empleyfflern-epportunities to 
such citizens.] In the implementation of the program, the Stale shall respect the 
rights of small properly owners.


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THE STATE SHALL PROMOTE FUR THER UPLIFTMENT BY 
STRENGTHENING AWARDEES IN THE RESETTLEMENT SITES 
WITH ELEMENTS OF SELF-DEVELOPMENT. INCLUDING 
ACCESSIBILITY TO EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES, HEALTH­
CARE SERMCES. SCHOOLS, AND OTHER NECESSARY SOCIAL 
FACILITIES, THAT MAY ENHANCE THEIR CAPABILITY TO 
PROGRESS AND MAKE AN UPWARD SOCIAL MOVEMENT 
PURSUING SUFFICIENT HUMAN SETTLEMENT CONDITIONS OF 
THEIR CHOICE.
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The Stale shall pursue the realization of a modern, humane, 
economically-viablc, and environmeiitally-sustainable society where the 
urbanization process is manifest in towns and cities being centers of productive 
economic activity and is led by market forces; where urban areas have 
affordable housing, sustainable physical and social infrastructure and services 
facilitated under a democratic and decentralized system of governance; and 
where urban areas provide the opportunities for an improved quality of life and 
the eradication of poverty.
NONETHELESS, THE STATE SHALL CONSIDER A COUPLED 
SOLUTION TO OBTAIN THE OBJECTIVE OF A DISPERSED URBAN 
NET AND A MORE BALANCED URBAN-RURAL 
INTERDEPENDENCE.
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The Slate shall ensure that poor dwellers in urban and rural areas shall 
not be evicted nor their dwelling demolished, except in accordance with law.
■ In addition, the State shall encourage on-site development in the 
implementation of housing programs and shall promote the creation of new 
settlements and development of sustainable urban renewal programs while 
guaranteeing the preservation of agricultural lands necessary for food security.
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Section 3. Section 3, Subparagraph (c), of Republic Act No. 11201, is herebyarpended to read
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as follows:
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Section 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act, the following terms 
are defined as follows;
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(c) Housing refers to a multi-dimensional concept relating to the process 
of residing and the objects of dwelling whose main attributes are location 
relative to access to livelihood, tenure arrangements, cost and physical structure, 
as well as their environment, INCLUDING SAFE DRINKING WATER, 
ADEQUATE SANITATION, AND ENERGY FOR COOKING, 
lighting, AND FOOD STORAGE. Housing is likewise a physical 
structure as well as a social structure, functioning at different spatial scales from 
homes, neighborhoods, communities, municipalities, cities, provinces, and 
regions. It is also a sector of the economy, an important category ofland.usc in


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both urban and rural areas, especially in cities, and is an important factor in the
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overall dynamics of the urban system;
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Section 4. Section 5, Part I, Subparagraph (a), of Republic Act No; 11201, is hereby amended
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to read as follows;
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Section 5. Powers and Functions. - The Department shall exercise the 
following powers and functions;
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I. Policy Development, Coordination, Monitoring and Evaluation
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(a) Formulate national housing and urban development policies,
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strategies and standards that are consistent with the Philippine Development
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Plan to promote social and economic welfare, in coordination and in
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consultation with national and local stakeholders, local government units
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(LGUs), and other government agencies, INCLUDING A REVIEW OF
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PRESENT HOUSING PROGRAM MECHANISMS IN RELATION TO
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REALISTIC PROJECTIONS MOVLNG FORWARD TO ENSURE A
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MORE SUSTAINABLE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE NATIONAL
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HOUSING PROGRAM THAT WILL INCLUDE FREE PUBLIC
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HOUSING FOR THE HOMELESS, AND ESPECIALLY THOSE FROM
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THE MOST VULNERABLE AND MARGINALIZED GROUPS, WITH
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A SECURITY OF TENURE THAT IS PROGRAMMED IN
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PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GOVERNMENT^
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Section. 5. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Pursuant to Section 7, Subparagraph (c) of
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Republic Act No. 11201, the Secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban
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Development shall promulgate the rules and regulations and make other issuances nccessaiy
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to cany out the policies and objectives of this Act within one (I) year from its effcctivity.
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Section. 6. Repealing Clause. Republic Act No. 11201 is accordingly amended. All other laws,
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presidential decrees and issuances, executive orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof
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inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
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Section 7. Separability Clause. If, for any reason or reasons, any part or provision of this Act
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shall be held to be unconstitutional or invalid, other parts or provisions hereof which are not
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affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect. 
... 
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Section 8. Effcctivity Clause. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its .publication
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in two (2) national newspapers of general circulation. The publication shall not be.later than
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seven (7) days after the approval hereof 
; r ; ..
Approved,