Philippine Senate Approves Four Bills to Expand Access to Affordable Housing
Key Takeaways
- •The Philippine Senate approved four affordable housing bills on October 8, including a 17-0-0 vote on SB 1992, which expands the government's power to secure and utilize land for socialized housing.
- •SB 2503, the Rental Housing Subsidy Act, aims to provide affordable rental housing for homeless individuals and survivors of calamities, while SB 2507 incentivizes developers to build rental units for low-income households.
- •SB 2508, the Residential Emancipation for Calamity Survivors Act, cancels the housing debts of Filipinos affected by natural disasters such as typhoons.
- •The approved bills must still pass the House of Representatives, with both chambers expected to reconcile their versions through a bicameral conference committee before submission to the President.
- •The legislative action responds to a longstanding housing backlog in the Philippines that officials estimate at millions of units, disproportionately affecting low-income families.
The Philippine Senate on Thursday, October 8, approved a package of measures aimed at improving Filipinos' access to more affordable housing, including bills covering subsidized and socialized housing programs.
Senators voted 17-0-0 — 17 in favor, none opposed, none abstaining — to approve Senate Bill (SB) No. 1992, or the Urban Development and Housing Act, which enhances the government's ability to take control of and utilize land for socialized housing. Under existing Philippine law, Republic Act No. 7279 — the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 — serves as the country's principal framework for urban development and housing, and defines socialized housing as government- or private-sector housing programs and projects intended primarily for underprivileged and homeless citizens.
The chamber also unanimously approved two rental-focused measures: SB 2503, the Rental Housing Subsidy Act, which seeks to create affordable housing for the homeless and survivors of calamities; and SB 2507, the Affordable and Decent Rental Housing Incentives Act, which promotes decent housing for low-income households by incentivizing the construction of rental units. Taken together, the two measures approach rental affordability from both sides — assistance directed at tenants in need and incentives aimed at expanding the supply of rental units.
In addition, senators gave unanimous approval to SB 2508, the Residential Emancipation for Calamity Survivors Act, which cancels the housing debts of calamity survivors — a relevant safeguard in an archipelago regularly affected by typhoons and other natural disasters.
Under Philippine legislative procedure, a bill approved by the Senate must still pass through the House of Representatives, where the two chambers generally need to reconcile their versions, typically through a bicameral conference committee, before a measure can be submitted to the President for signature into law.
Housing affordability has been a persistent policy concern in the Philippines, where government officials have repeatedly cited a nationwide housing backlog running into the millions of units, concentrated among low-income households. National housing policy is coordinated by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, which was created in 2019 under Republic Act No. 11201.
The Senate action was reported by Francessca S. Abalos of BusinessWorld Online.
Source: Senate OKs bills enhancing access to affordable housing — BusinessWorld Online
