House Deputy Minority Leader and Mamamayang Liberal Party-list Rep. Leila de Lima on Saturday urged the passage of a bill revoking the National Housing Authority’s power to summarily evict informal settler families from government resettlement projects without a court order.
De Lima, author of House Bill 5882, said the measure seeks to amend a provision of Republic Act 12216, or the National Housing Authority Act, which she said allows the agency to dispossess families without due process.
She stressed that the right to housing is a fundamental human right recognized by the Constitution and international law, and said the NHA should not be an instrument of displacement.
De Lima cited several issues with the provision, saying it is a rider, contradicts the NHA’s mandate, conflicts with the Urban Development and Housing Act, and violates constitutional and international obligations.
Pending the repeal of the provision, De Lima urged the NHA to refrain from conducting extrajudicial evictions and called on lawmakers to pass the bill swiftly to prevent further injustice.
