Rental housing subsidy program bill proposed
Credit to Author: Javier J. Ismael| Date: Tue, 07 Jan 2020 17:02:46 +0000
SENATOR Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go has filed Senate Bill (SB) 1227 or an “Act establishing the rental housing subsidy program and providing funds therefor.”
In filing the proposed measure, Go explained that as provided under Republic Act 7279, or the “Urban Development and Housing Act,” the State shall, by law and for the common good, undertake, in cooperation with the private sector, a continuing program of urban land reform and housing that will make available at affordable cost decent housing and basic services to underprivileged and homeless citizens in urban centers and resettlement areas.
Data from the National Statistical Coordination Board showed that one out of four or 25.2 percent of the population in the country was classified as poor in 2012.
Many belong to informal settler families (ISFs), numbering 250,000 to 600,000 in Metro Manila alone, according to the World Bank.
Go, however, said poverty is not the sole cause of the rising number of ISFs in the country.
He added that natural disasters and calamities are some of the highest contributors to this problem.
Being an archipelago, the senator said the Philippines is hit by frequent seismic activities and around 20 typhoons a year, destroying lives, livelihood and homes.
In 2013, the country was struck by one of the most devastating typhoons in history, “Yolanda” (“Haiyan”), which left behind more than 4.4 million or 1,143,332 families homeless.
In 2019, the Commission on Audit flagged the National Housing Authority for completing only 117,167 of the 203,471 intended housing for the victims of Yolanda.
Go noted that these homeless families were either living in shelters, temporary homes, or worse, in the streets.
Despite circumstances in social housing over the past years, he said it is not too late for the State to fulfill its mandate of providing sustainable and habitable shelter for its people.
He added that SB 1227 not only seeks to provide homes for the displaced families, but also seeks to help them sustain their livelihoods by offering them various options during the interim process of construction and relocation.
It also seeks to protect the urban poor from the impact of immediate dislocation through eviction and demolition arising from government projects.
Under SB 1227, or the proposed “Rental Housing Subsidy Program Act of 2019,” rental housing subsidy program shall be established as a housing and social protection program with the end in view of enabling ISFs to lead decent lives and supporting them in accessing the formal housing market.
It shall be made an option to address the temporary relocation of families displaced by natural and man-made disasters.
Eligible beneficiaries shall receive a rental subsidy, the amount of which shall be determined by considering, among others, the prevailing rental rates in the concerned locality and the economic standing and potential of the family.
The subsidy shall be a percentage of the total amount of rentals as determined by the rental or lease contract between the eligible beneficiary and the lessor, provided that for those eligible beneficiaries below the poverty threshold as determined by the Philippine Statistics Authority, the subsidy shall be at least 50 percent of the total amount of rentals.
Rental subsidy shall be granted to eligible beneficiaries for a maximum of five years or upon their availment or acquisition of permanent housing, whichever comes first.
The amount necessary for the effective implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current appropriations for the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development .