Mamamayang Liberal party-list Rep. Leila de Lima has filed a measure to prioritize on-site, in-city, and near-city resettlement to amend the 23-year-old Republic Act 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA).
She said House Bill 3359 seeks to legislate the People’s Plan as a framework to promote inclusivity and genuine community participation in local housing programs.
For housing projects and cases of possible demolition and eviction that directly affect informal settler families (ISFs), the measure allows them to initiate and propose their own resettlement plans.
The bill will institutionalize a policy for more humane and effective resettlement—on-site, in-city, near-city, or off-city—to better address the needs of urban poor communities.
The 2023 United Nations Habitat Philippines Country Report estimates housing needs to rise from a backlog of 6.5 million in 2022 to 22 million by 2040. ISFs are estimated at 3.7 million, with half a million living in slums and high-risk areas in Metro Manila.
Under HB 3359, Section 28 of RA 7279 will be amended to ensure due process and human rights are upheld during evictions and demolitions. Such actions will only be taken when absolutely necessary, following proper studies, risk assessments, and compliance with mandatory requirements.
“We cannot settle for an inefficient resettlement policy where our countrymen are forced to return to urban areas, subjecting them once again to unsafe, unstable, and undignified housing conditions,” De Lima said, stressing that the government must adopt humane and caring policies for the urban poor.
