Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
___________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE RENTAL HOUSING SUBSIDY 
PROGRAM AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR 
OTHER PURPOSES 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Section 9 of Article XII of the Constitution of the Philippines 
provides for the State to undertake a continuing program of urban land 
reform and housing which will make available at an affordable cost decent 
housing and basic services to underprivileged and homeless citizens in 
urban centers and resettlement areas. From this constitutional mandate, it 
can be clearly deduced that the State considers, as it should be considered, 
the importance of assisting underprivileged citizens in having decent 
housing and access to basic services. However, because of the rapid rise of 
poverty in the country, efforts to provide decent housing to underprivileged 
Filipinos remain futile as many Filipino families still resort to informal 
settling. 
Poverty in the Philippines has been a problem for so long. As an 
effect of this, many Filipino families do not have decent homes to live in. 
They instead resort to settle on lands without legal claim over it. Moreover, 
natural disasters and calamities also contribute to the problem of informal 
settling. Although the Filipino people remain to be resilient despite all the 
hardships that our country faces, this still does not deny the fact that these 
calamities have caused destruction to a lot of homes of the Filipino people. 
Informal settling is very troublesome because these people, just to satisfy 
their basic need of a shelter, have to live in constant fear that they may be 
evicted by the owners of the properties they are occupying. 
January 4, 2023
6:15 pm
6736


 
In order to provide a solution to the problem of informal settling, this 
Act is created in order to provide a rental housing subsidy program which 
shall be established as a housing and social protection program with the 
purpose of leading informal settler families into living decent lives in 
decent homes. Through this program, informal settler families shall be 
protected from the heavy impacts of eviction from the places they are 
occupying. Also provided in this Bill, among others, are the qualifications 
in order to be eligible under the rental housing subsidy program and the 
requirements for their continuing eligibility. 
 
Considering the positive impact that will be realized by 
underprivileged Filipino people through its provisions, the passage of this 
Bill is earnestly sought. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 


Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Constitution Hills, Quezon City 
NINETEENTHCONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill No._____ 
___________________________________________________________ 
Introduced by: REPRESENTATIVE EDWIN L. OLIVAREZ 
AN ACT ESTABLISHING THE RENTAL HOUSING SUBSIDY 
PROGRAM AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR 
OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted in the Senate and the House of Representatives of the 
Republic of the Philippines in Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Short Title.  – This act shall be known as the “Rental 
Housing Subsidy Act of 2023”. 
SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is hereby declared the 
policy of the State to give highest priority to the enactment of measures 
that protect and enhance the right of all people to human dignity, reduce 
social, economic, and political inequalities by diffusing wealth and 
political power for the common good. 
Towards this end, the State shall undertake the initiation of 
continuing programs which make available decent housing and basic 
services to underprivileged citizens at an affordable cost. 
SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. – 
a) Informal Settler Families (ISF) shall refer to households living in a
lot whether private or public, without the consent of the property
owner; or those without legal claim over the property they are
occupying; or those living in danger areas such as esteros, railroad,
garbage dumps, riverbanks, shorelines, and waterways;
b) Rental Housing Subsidy shall refer to the financial assistance to be
provided by the government for purposes of rent accommodation
which shall be conformity with the amounts prescribed under
6736


Republic Act No. 9653, otherwise known as the “Rental Control 
Act”. 
 
Section 4. Rental Housing Subsidy Program. – A Rental Housing 
Subsidy Program is hereby established in order to facilitate a housing and 
social protection program for the benefits of ISFs. Through the Rental 
Housing Subsidy Program, eligible ISFs shall be recipients of a rental 
housing subsidy, the amount of which shall be determined jointly by the 
Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and 
the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA). 
 
 
Moreover, the amount of the rental subsidy shall be reviewable at 
any time but only once every two (2) years in order to conform with 
prevailing economic conditions. 
 
 
Finally, the rental subsidy shall be granted to qualified ISFs for a 
maximum period of five (5) years from the time of their availment of said 
program. 
 
 
Section 5. Qualifications. – For ISFs to be able to avail of the Rental 
Housing Subsidy Program, the following qualifications must be present: 
 
a) The ISF must be living: 
1. Danger areas as defined by the DSHUD; or 
2. Areas identified for government infrastructure projects which 
are firmly backed up with funding commitments coupled with 
actual validation by its respective government implementing 
agencies; 
b) The ISF must at least one (1) member of the household who is 
employed or who has a source of livelihood; 
c) The ISF must be willing to transfer to a safer as shall provided 
under this Act and vacate the informal settlement area. 
 
SECTION 6. Conditions for Continued Eligibility. – The 
beneficiaries shall be mandated to comply with the conditions that shall be 
stated below in order to enjoy continued eligibility under this Act: 
 
a) The ISFs who are beneficiaries under this Act shall not relocate to 
the danger area, government infrastructure area, or private land 
wherein they previously resided except when permitted by the 
proper government authorities: and 
b) The beneficiaries shall pay the remaining portion of the rental to the 
lessor which is not covered under the program. 


 
Beneficiaries who maintain good payment standings shall be 
prioritized as beneficiaries in government housing programs. 
 
SECTION 7. Forms of Payment. – The rental subsidy shall be 
distributed by the DHSUD on a monthly basis to the lessors of the ISFs 
through a dedicated government bank account. 
 
 
SECTION 8. Role of Government Agencies. – The program shall 
involve the national government agencies and instrumentalities with the 
following roles: 
 
a) The DHSUD shall: 
1. Create programs targets in coordination with housing 
agencies and further incorporate these to the national housing 
policy; 
2. Formulate 
housing 
policies 
applicable 
to 
attached 
corporations of the DHSUD in connection with the 
implementation of this program; 
3. Determine both the beneficiaries and the lessors in this 
program; 
4. Set-up a system for the monitoring and evaluation of the 
implementation of this program. Said system of monitoring 
and evaluation shall also include tools, exit strategies and 
methodologies 
or 
compliance 
with 
the 
conditions, 
implementation, output, and impact assessments together with 
its attached agencies; and 
5. Recommend to Congress measures for the proper and 
responsive implementation of this Act. 
 
b) The National Housing Authority (NHA) shall: 
1. Confirm and certify eligibility of the beneficiaries under the 
program; 
2. Determine areas in need of immediate resettlement in 
coordination which infrastructure program implementing 
agencies; 
3. Update the alpha list and socio-economic profiles of 
beneficiaries to be resettled as part of the National 
Resettlement Program; and 
4. Create a grievance and redress system which shall be part of 
the monitoring and evaluation system of the implementation 
of this program. 
 


c) The Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF) shall enroll the 
beneficiaries to the HDMF system so as to facilitate their entry in 
to the formal housing market. 
 
d) The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) 
shall create social preparation programs which shall include 
training programs for the benefit of the beneficiaries in order for 
them to utilize the benefits granted to them under this program. 
 
e) The Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP) shall: 
 
1. Assist the DSWD in the creation of social preparation 
programs for the beneficiaries; 
2. Conduct social preparation activities in coordination with the 
local government units. 
 
f) The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority 
(TESDA) shall provide skills training to beneficiaries. 
 
g) The local government units (LGU) shall: 
 
1. Maintain a registry of all lessors in their respective areas that 
shall be accessible to the public; 
2. Assist the NHA in the conduct of census and tagging of ISFs 
in need of immediate resettlement; 
3. Assist the DSWD and PCUP in the conduct of social 
preparation activities; 
4. Contain the vacated areas of ISFs in order to achieve the 
objectives of this program; 
5. Assist the DSWD in the monitoring and evaluating the 
implementing of this program; and 
6. Conduct field valuation of beneficiaries and their respective 
lessors in the rental housing units. 
 
SECTION 9.  
Additional Positions and Personnel for the 
DHSUD. – The DHSUD shall, in accordance with civil service rules, create 
positions and enlist additional personnel to ensure the proper 
implementation of this Act. 
 
SECTION 10. Appropriations. – The amount necessary for the 
effective implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current 
appropriations for the DHSUD. Thereafter, such amounts as necessary for 


its continued implementation shall be included in the General 
Appropriations Act. 
 
SECTION 11. Implementing Rules and Regulations. – The 
DHSUD, in coordination with relevant government agencies, shall issue 
the rules and regulations necessary for the implementation of this Act 
within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of this Act. 
 
SECTION 12. Mandatory Review on the Implementation of this 
Act. – The DHSUD shall submit to the Congress a report on the 
implementation of this program once a year from the date of effectivity of 
this Act. 
 
SECTION 13. Separability Clause. – If any provision of this act is 
declared invalid or unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected 
thereby, shall remain valid and subsisting. 
 
SECTION 14. Repealing Clause. – All acts, executive orders, 
memorandum circulars/guidelines and other issuances or parts thereof, 
which are inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed or modified 
accordingly. 
 
SECTION 15. 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.