By Cai Ordinario - AUGUST 29, 2017

The creation of a Department of Housing and Urban Development (DHUD) will give Filipinos a better chance of fulfilling their dream of owning a home, according to the National Economic and Development Authority (Neda).

The creation of the DHUD is now in the works, with the House Committee on Housing and Urban Development eyeing to approve today the enabling measure, which would ensure the availability and affordability of decent housing and basic services in the country.

Neda Undersecretary for Planning and Policy Rosemarie G. Edillon told the BusinessMirror that the new housing agency could fast-track the attainment of the life Filipinos want, particularly in terms of owning a home. Based on the AmBisyon Natin 2040, some 61 percent of respondents indicated owning a medium-sized home as part of their definition of living a simple and comfortable life.

“To the extent that it will facilitate the process of home ownership, then it will enable more Filipinos to achieve part of their ambisyon,” Edillon said.

However, Edillon noted that the creation of a DHUD must be done in accordance with the principle of rightsizing the bureaucracy, which means some of the existing six Key Shelter Agencies (KSAs) could potentially be merged or removed to improve service delivery.  “It will be done within the principle of rightsizing the government. In the short term, the problem is with respect to transition, unifying administration systems, etc.”

Budget Secretary Benjamin E.  Diokno said over the weekend that the proposal to create the DHUD is still in its early stages, and even if the House of Representatives  approves it, a Senate version of the bill has to be passed for it to become a law.

Diokno said, however, in terms of the budget for the housing sector, he still would not be able to tell how much it will be and how the reorganization will impact employees.

Former Philippine Economic Society President Alvin Ang said the main economic benefit of creating a separate department of housing is the coordination of the KSAs.

Ateneo de Manila University School of Social Sciences Fernando T. Aldaba added that, while the housing sector by itself has “great multiplier effects”, there is still no assurance how the DHUD will impact the housing backlog.

“The housing sector has great multiplier effects, but we still need to see if the new department will be able to energize the sector, such that the housing backlog and new demand will be met,” Aldaba said.

The issues surrounding the passage of the DHUD was among the reasons the House Committee on Housing deferred the proposal to reorganize the Social Housing Finance Corp. and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp.

There are proposed laws at the House of Representatives that aim to strengthen both agencies and make them more responsive to the housing finance needs of Filipinos.

But in light of the proposed DHUD, House Committee Chairman Rep.  Alfredo Benitez said it would be best to discuss the reorganization of the two agencies in the context of the DHUD.

“We have to think about it well in the context of the pending creation of the Department of Housing, how will they harmonize functions with the Department. I feel that there are redundancies in the functions of the shelter agencies, sometimes they even overlap,” Benitez told the BusinessMirror.

Based on the AmBisyon Natin 2040, most respondents said they choose to live in houses with large lots in cities.

Some 73 percent said they wanted to live in a small house with a big lot, while 14 percent chose to live in big houses with small lots.

Around 30 percent of respondents chose to live in big cities, like Manila, and another 30 percent chose to live in town centers in the province. Only 29 percent preferred to live in a small city in the province.

The Neda said the AmBisyon Natin 2040 data were obtained from responses in 42 focus group discussions (FGDs) and 10,000 survey-respondents nationwide.

The FGDs were conducted mainly among marginalized groups, including indigenous peoples while the survey was conducted across the ABCDE income groups.

Benitez said his committee will discuss and then approve the consolidated bill creating the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Developmenton on Tuesday.

The creation of a department of housing, together with the creation of a Department of Culture and Philippine Space Agency, is included to the agenda of the second Legislative-Executive Development Advisory Council meeting also on Tuesday.

Benitez said the new housing department will be created through the consolidation of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council  and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board.

“The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Act should focus on the needs of an individual rather than roof on his head, and ensure the proper urbanization of communities that will promote affordable and decent housing for every Filipino,” Benitez added.

According to Benitez, the department shall act as the primary national government entity responsible for the management of housing, human settlement and urban development.

He added that the agency shall be the sole and main planning and policy-making, regulatory, program coordination and performance-monitoring entity for all housing, human settlement and urban-development concerns, primarily focusing on the access to and the affordability of basic human needs.

With Jovee Marie N. dela Cruz