THE House of Representatives has approved on third and final reading a measure that mandates onsite, in-city, near-city, or off-city relocation of informal settler families (ISFs).

The House Bill 5, principally authored by Speaker Martin Romualdez and other House leaders, got overwhelming 254 votes.

The bill seeks to address such issue, by providing for a local government-led onsite housing for ISFs and mandating that off-city relocation may be resorted to only when in-city or near-city resettlement is not feasible.

Likewise, the measure calls for adequate consultation with the affected families.

“The bill also provides for social preparation activities for beneficiaries and the institutionalization of a people’s plan developed by beneficiary families in coordination with the implementing local government unit,” they added.

Aside from Romualdez, principal authors are Tingog party-list Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez and Jude Acidre of Tingog party-list.

The bill seeks to amend Republic Act (RA) No. 7279, or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992.

In their explanatory note, the authors said the bill would carry out a provision of the Constitution mandating the state to “undertake, in cooperation with the public sector, a continuing program of urban land reform and housing which will make available at affordable cost decent housing and basic services to underprivileged and homeless citizens in urban centers and resettlement areas.”

“While the government has been providing resettlement sites to informal settler families, these sites have been mostly off-city. These do not provide employment opportunities and livelihood, as well as social services,” they said.

The measure defines in-city or onsite resettlement as a “relocation site within the jurisdiction of a local government unit where the affected informal settler families are living.”

“Near-city resettlement” refers to a site close to the original area where the affected ISFs live but within the jurisdiction of another LGU that is adjacent to the implementing LGU.

“Off-city” relocation, on the other hand, is a site developed outside and not adjacent to the implementing LGU.

Implementing LGUs may purchase land outside their jurisdiction for near-city or off-city housing.

LGUs are to implement the onsite, near-city, or off-city housing program for ISFs in partnership with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, National Housing Authority, National Home Mortgage Finance Corp., Home Development Mutual Fund, and Social Housing Finance Corp.

Other agencies, including the Department of Labor and Employment, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Science and Technology, and Philippine Trade and Training Center, are mandated to provide skills and livelihood training.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Department of Interior and Local Government, in consultation with appropriate agencies, civil society groups, the private sector, and representatives of ISFs, shall issue implementing rules and regulations.