THE Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement has cleared all 35 bills and resolutions on its agenda, signaling a push for housing reforms.
The committee, chaired by Francis Escudero, approved on Wednesday several measures for the committee report as part of his “no backlog” policy in the panels he leads.
Among the key measures endorsed was Senate Bill (SB) 934, authored by Sen. Jinggoy Estrada. The bill authorizes the government to expropriate land for socialized housing by amending provisions of the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992.
Local government units and housing agencies can identify priority sites, streamline land acquisition processes and allow the expropriation of idle lands — including residential properties under litigation — to accelerate housing projects.
Escudero said the measure would support the administration’s flagship Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing Program, which aims to address the country’s long-standing housing shortage.
The committee also approved SB 70, authored by Sen. Rodante Marcoleta, that will exempt underprivileged and homeless families from paying a supersedeas bond when appealing ejectment cases, providing additional legal protection for households facing eviction.
Another measure, SB 1863 filed by Sen. Bam Aquino, will establish a loan restructuring and condonation program for beneficiaries of socialized and low-cost housing to ease repayment burdens and prevent housing foreclosures.
The committee also approved several proposals amending the Condominium Act, including SB 922 by Estrada, SB 1442 by Sen. JV Ejercito, and House Bill 2286 authored by lawmakers including Representatives Victoria Co-Pilar and Leila de Lima.
The proposals aim to update rules on the dissolution and redevelopment of condominium projects to improve safety and redevelopment options for aging urban buildings.
During the hearing, Escudero ordered the consolidation of related measures and referred several proposals to newly created subcommittees for further study.
Among the measures is Senate Resolution 254 filed by Aquino, which calls for an inquiry into the implementation of government housing and resettlement programs.
The committee also examined the administration’s recalibrated housing targets under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. Instead of the earlier goal of producing 1 million housing units annually, the updated target is 1.13 million units for Marcos’ entire term ending in 2028.
Officials from the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development reported that the country faces a housing backlog of about 2.2 million units, with around 477,000 units delivered so far.