MANILA, Philippines — The House of Representatives approved on third and final reading a bill that would expand land acquisition, financing and public-private partnership options for socialized housing projects.
House Bill 9697 was approved by a vote of 205-3 with no abstentions. It amends Sections 10, 18, and 20 of Republic Act 7279, or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992, as amended by Republic Act 10884, or the Balanced Housing Development Program Amendments to speed up the delivery of socialized housing by widening the government's options for acquiring land and developing projects.
“President Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ R. Marcos Jr. has made housing a central part of his development agenda, and Speaker Bojie Dy has ensured that the House responds with legislation that can actually move projects from paper to construction. HB 9697 gives government and the private sector more workable routes to provide ordinary families with safe, dignified and affordable homes,” Ilocos Norte 1st District Rep. Sandro Marcos said in a statement.
The bill will allow additional modes of land acquisition and project development, including community mortgages, land banking, land swapping, land consolidation, joint ventures, negotiated and direct purchases, donations, and unsolicited proposals under the Public-Private Partnership Code.
It likewise prioritizes idle, foreclosed and tax-delinquent properties for socialized housing. Qualified beneficiaries already occupying such land would be granted the right of first refusal.
Under the measure, subdivision developers would be required to allocate socialized housing equivalent to at least 15 percent of total project area or cost, while condominium and vertical housing developers would be required to provide at least 5 percent.
The bill also mandates one-stop shops for permits, requires licenses and clearances to be issued within 90 days, extends tax incentives for qualified projects, and increases penalties for violations. Collected fines would be earmarked for socialized housing programs in the affected locality.
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development will be required to issue implementing rules within 90 days of the law's effectivity and submit evaluation reports to Congress every two years.
The measure now moves to the Senate for consideration.