The City Social Welfare and Development Office said beneficiaries of the local government’s socialized housing program are those who qualified under the guidelines set by housing agencies.
Assistant City Social Welfare and Development Officer Liza Bulayongan said the guidelines for the implementation of the socialized housing program do not allow the rich and employees of the local government as recipients of housing units.
She said the qualifications of beneficiaries are defined under National Housing Authority Memorandum Circular 2018-030 or the updated guidelines for the implementation of the resettlement assistance program for local government units.
Beneficiaries of housing projects include informal settler families, such as those residing in danger areas and in other public places; families who have been displaced by natural calamities and human-induced disasters, particularly internal conflicts, fire victims requiring relocation to safe areas; families displaced or to be displaced from sites earmarked for government infrastructure projects; and families whose dwellings are subject to court orders for demolition and eviction.
The guidelines further provided the families must qualify as socialized housing beneficiaries pursuant to Republic Act 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act.
The updated guidelines introduced improvements in the implementation of the program that included increase in funding assistance, improvement in development standards, compliance to requirements for local government participation, and alignment with gender and development principles and its implementation as prescribed under previous orders that mandated the mainstreaming of gender and development in NHA resettlement program policies, guidelines, activities, and projects.
Pursuant to NHA Board Resolution 5436 dated March 30, 2012, NHA issued Memorandum Circular 2427 governing the implementation of the resettlement assistance program for local government units.
The program was developed pursuant to NHA’s mandate under RA 7279 to provide financial and technical assistance to LGUs in the implementation of their urban development and housing programs and in line with NHA’s role as enabler and facilitator in the housing delivery process.
The general policy is geared towards providing financial and technical assistance to LGUs in the development of their housing sites for informal settler families needing relocation and resettlement. – PIO release
April 26, 2024
