Press Release
July 4, 2019

Go files bill to support housing programs for poor Filipinos

"Wala dapat maging squatter sa sariling bayan"

In an effort to curtail homelessness and improve the delivery of housing services to poor Filipinos, Senator Christopher Lawrence "Bong" Go filed a bill on Tuesday which aims to provide continuous funding support for a large scale pro-poor housing program in the country.

The bill entitled "National Housing Development, Production and Financing (NHDPF) Act of 2020" aims to institutionalize a program to address the housing needs of Filipinos by generating and mobilizing sustainable funds for housing, and encouraging public and private sector participation in the said program.

During his visits to fire victims and poor communities, Go has witnessed the lack of a proper nationwide housing roadmap to make sure that every Filipino family is given a decent home.

This is the reason why he filed the National Housing Development, Production and Financing Bill that seeks to reduce the country's housing backlog. The proposed law aims to provide continuous funding support to implement the major components of the National Housing Development, Production and Financing Program of the Duterte administration.

"Dapat sa susunod na mga taon, wala nang squatter sa sariling bayan. This measure aims to address the 6.5-M housing gap over the period of 20 years," he uttered.

Under the proposed measure, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and its attached key shelter agencies are mandated to intensify the implementation of the National Housing Development Production and Financing Program.

The National Housing Authority (NHA) will be the lead agency tasked to develop and implement various types of housing programs intended for the bottom 30% of the income population. Some of these programs are resettlements, housing programs for low-salaried government employees, settlements upgrading, housing programs of calamity victims, and land banking.

As for the housing plight of formal and informal sectors in the low-income bracket, the draft legislation mandates the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) to undertake social housing programs that will cater to their needs and to take charge of developing and administering social housing programs.

The proposed law also tasks the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC) to increase the availability of affordable housing loans to finance the Filipino homebuyers, and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) to manage housing, human settlements and urban development.

To encourage private sector participation in the program, pertinent government agencies are mandated to facilitate the release of the required housing-related permits, licenses, certifications and tax exemptions and rulings in accordance to the Ease of Doing Business Act.

As part of his legislative agenda aimed at helping the Duterte administration achieve positive genuine change felt by all Filipinos, Go personally filed his first 10 Legislative measures this week at the Philippine Senate.

"Inuna ko po ang kapakanan ng mga Pilipinong pinaka-nangangailangan ng atensyon mula sa gobyerno. Para ito sa mga may sakit, mga ordinaryong manggagawa, mga biktima ng kalamidad, at mga kabataan na pagasa ng ating bayan. Ito ang serbisyong ipinangako ko sa inyo, serbisyo at pagmamalasakit na ramdam kahit saang dako ng bansa," he said.

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