The House of Representatives has approved on second reading a bill seeking to strengthen the right of government to expropriate lands for socialized housing.
The approved House Bill 159 or “An Act Strengthening the Right Of Government To Expropriate Lands For Socialized Housing” is principally authored by Rep. Jose Christopher Belmonte (6th District, Quezon City).
The bill seeks to amend Sections 9, 10, and 11 of Republic Act No. 7279, otherwise known as the “Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992,” by granting local government units (LGUs) the power to identify and prioritize areas to be acquired as sites for socialized housing.
It provides LGUs with the power to identify and prioritize areas to be acquired or the proper agency acquiring land for socialized housing.
However, LGUs shall give budgetary priority to on-site development of government lands to be converted into housing sites.
The areas that could be converted into sites for socialized housing include those owned by the government or any of its subdivision, alienable lands of the public domain, unregistered or abandoned and idle lands and those declared areas of priority development, zonal improvement program sites, and slum improvement and resettlement program locations.
While the bill allows the expropriation of lands, even if ownership is still the subject of a pending court litigation, it exempts parcels of land owned by “small property owners” from acquisition by the local government.
Private lands and locations of the Bagong Lipunan Improvement of Sites and Services (BLISS) housing which have not yet been acquired may also be converted as sites for socialized housing.
The modes of land acquisition provided for in the bill are community mortgage, land swapping, land assembly or consolidation, land banking, donation to the government, joint venture agreement, negotiated purchase and expropriation.
Government-owned and foreclosed properties shall be acquired by the LGUs or by the National Housing Authority (NHA) primarily through negotiated purchase. Qualified beneficiaries who are actual occupants of the land shall be given the right of first refusal.
Other authors of the bill are Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu (2nd District, Batangas), Reps. Xavier Jesus Romualdo (Lone District, Camiguin), Joseph Stephen Paduano (Party-list, Abang Lingkod), Strike Revilla (2nd District, Cavite), Winston Castelo (2nd District, Quezon City), Rodrigo Abellanosa (2nd District, Cebu City), and Joaquin Chipeco (2nd District, Laguna). (Congress)
