House OKs 25-yr. extension of NHA's corporate life on 2nd reading

THE HOUSE of Representatives approved on Tuesday a measure seeking to extend for 25 years the charter of the National Housing Authority (NHA), which expires in 2025.

During the plenary session, the chamber passed through voice voting House Bill 10172, which also seeks to strengthen and reorganize the NHA to adapt to the changing conditions in the housing industry and address the current problems of the agency.

Speaker Martin Romualdez, author of the measure, said the 25-year extension of the NHA's corporate life would help President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. achieve his goal of building a million new houses per year to meet the total 6.15 million housing backlog.

"It is our commitment to ensure the success of President Marcos’ housing program that would bring a meaningful change and significant impact to the lives of ordinary Filipino people,” Romualdez said. “The proposal will drive progress and address the need for decent housing of every Filipino family."

The bill provides for the powers and functions of the NHA to develop and implement comprehensive and integrated housing and urban and rural development programs for citizens, specifically for the improvement of blighted urban areas, direct shelter production, and disposition for informal settler families and the underprivileged and homeless.

It is also in charge of the relocation of families subject to court-ordered eviction and residents in danger areas, as well as the housing program for government employees and military and uniformed personnel.

The measure would allow the NHA to implement innovative and alternative solutions in addressing the housing needs of informal settler families, the lower-income classes, and the vulnerable sector.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development’s Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino program, which aims to address the country’s housing backlog by building decent and sustainable houses, is seen to benefit about 30 million Filipinos through the construction of 6.15 million housing units within six years. (Filane Mikee Cervantes)