10 Significant Events
that Affected Social Housing in the Last Decade
by Geraldine Matabang
Much of the past decade has been under the administration of Pres. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo (GMA) and the housing sector’s accomplishments in that period have barely made a dent in improving the housing backlog. As of 2010, the total housing need stands at 3.7 million housing units. Majority of this figure consist of the housing needs of informal settlers, slum dwellers, households in danger areas, and the homeless – the marginalized sectors that TAO-Pilipinas has aimed to serve. As TAO-Pilipinas marks a decade of involvement in social housing-related programs and projects, we highlight ten local events, incidents and experiences from 2001 to 2011 that have led to changes in social housing provision/delivery and shaped the context in which TAO-Pilipinas has responded through technical assistance for the poor.
1. The North Rail and South Rail Resettlement Program
When GMA assumed presidency in 2001, the rehabilitation of the Philippine National Railways’ (PNR) North Rail and South Rail was named as one of the flagship infrastructure projects aimed at decongesting Metro Manila and spurring new economic growth areas in Northern, Central and Southern Luzon. The project was set to evict about 100,000 informal settler-families occupying the PNR right-of-way (40,000 for the Northrail project and 60,000 for the Southrail project). The Rail Resettlement Program that was initiated became the most massive relocation project the Arroyo overnment had undertaken. By 2009 close to 70,000 families have been sent to relocation sites in San Jose Del Monte in Bulacan, Montalban in Rizal, and Cabuyao in Laguna. Some families availed of the housing financial assistance under the Balik Probinsya Program.
While government funding of the PNR project has been plagued with allegations of corruption, the relocation housing developed for displaced families (particularly the off-city resettlement sites) has likewise been criticized for substandard living conditions due to lack of basic services such as potable water, electricity, sanitation facilities, schools, and health centres. Difficulty in paying the high amortization for the lots and inadequate livelihood opportunities in the resettlement site have also forced many to come back to Metro Manila’s informal communities.
2. Issuance of land proclamations by GMA
The issuance of land proclamations was a policy introduced to provide intermediate tenure option for informal settlers occupying government lands. This became a key policy during the administration of GMA who, by far, has issued the biggest number of presidential land proclamations. Land proclamations give assurance that families squatting on public lands will not be evicted and access to social services will improve. Families are given Certificates of Entitlement for Lot Award (CELAs) as a form of tenure instrument after land proclamation. HUDCC reported that from 2001 to 2006, there were 195,475 poor households that benefited from the issuance of 94 land proclamations. It should be noted however that only 14,000 families were awarded CELAs during the same 5-year period.
GMA’s land proclamations appear to have offered improved tenure security for the urban poor and encouraged the provision of basic service infrastructure in the proclaimed areas by LGUs and NGOs. However, development of proclaimed lands into social housing projects continues to be stalled and the disposition of land titles (the ultimate form of security of tenure the poor seek) has yet to be fulfilled. It would seem that land proclamations were primarily motivated by political events and used to gain electoral votes, as the highest numbers issued by GMA were after the 2001 Malacanang siege by opposition supporters and just before the 2004 presidential elections.
3. Emergence of the Gawad Kalinga community development model
Gawad Kalinga (GK) is a private sector initiative for housing the poor that saw its begininings in themid-90s with community outreach projects of the Couples for Christ ministry. It was in 2003 that GK embarked on a social housing program called GK777 that sought to build 700,000 homes in 7,000 communities in 7 years. GK has since adopted a community development model that integrates infrastructure delivery with programs addressing the social needs of its beneficiaries (i.e., values formation, education, health care, livelihood, environmental awareness, food sufficiency). This approach has been replicated in various GK villages in different parts of the country. As of 2009 they have built over 33,000 houses in 1,400 villages. Although they have failed to achieve their GK777 targets, GK has taken on a more ambitious mission of ending poverty for 5 million Filipino by 2024.
Apart from contributing to shelter delivery, GK’s most impressive innovation lies in resource generation, in being able to harness a vast network of support from government and the private sector. It has managed to successfully create its own brand in the field of corporate social responsibility. Many CSR programs of top corporations in the country support GK projects and these partnerships receive high profile media campaigns. By effectively engaging stakeholders, GK has led the way for an innovative, private sector-led approach to social housing.
4. Creation of the SHFC and localized CMP
The Community Mortgage Program (CMP), a home lending program first introduced in the mid-80s, is considered one of the better performing housing program for the urban poor. Government offers loans to informal settlers organized as community associations to purchase land and invest in house improvements. Through the community mortgage loans, informal groups are granted formal ownership of land. Since 1989 up to 2010, CMP has assisted 217,929 households, 38 percent of which are Metro Manila communities.
The CMP was initially managed by the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC). As a result of lobbying of NGOs and POs for a more focused implementation of the program for the poor, the administration of CMP was transferred to a newly-formed subsidiary of NMHFC. The Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) was created in 2004 through EO 272 as lead government agency to undertake social housing programs including the CMP and Abot-Kaya Pabahay Fund Program. The SHFC has since piloted a localized community mortgage program (LCMP) wherein lending is extended to local government units for priority social housing projects. LGUs, in turn, would be lending to the community associations and undertake loan processing and approvals. This creates a multiplier effect for CMP funds since both national and local governments now contribute to the project cost. CMP localization still needs to be tapped and maximized by LGUs and poor communities.
5. Use of alternative building materials by Habitat for Humanity
Habitat for Humanity Philippines (HFHP) is a non-profit Christian ministry that build homes for the poor. Since 1988, HFHP has been implementing social housing programs wherein beneficiaries invest by way of sweat equity and pay for the house through affordable monthly mortgage payments. Its housing program is complemented by “soft programs” on values formation, livelihood skills development and other capacitybuilding programs for its beneficiaries. It also enjoys widespread support from government and private sector groups. Habitat for Humanity targets to build 5,000 houses annually and to date, it has built over 32,000 houses across the country.
The past decade has seen the organization delve in research and development for house construction innovations in an effort to keep the houses durable yet low-cost and affordable for the poor. The use of alternative building technologies that are volunteer-friendly has become synonymous with Habitat for Humanity housing. It introduced and further developed the use of concrete interlocking blocks (CIBs), modified hollow blocks, and steel frames with fiber cement boards. With these innovations, people are gradually being familiarized with alternative technologies and thus helping change a common but misguided outlook that a strong house could only be built of conventional reinforced concrete and concrete hollow blocks.
6. Post-typhoon Reming (Durian) rehabilitation
On November 2006, Category 4 Typhoon Reming (Durian) hit the Bicol Region with heavy rainfall (466mm over a 12-hour period) that triggered extensive flooding and mudflows carrying deposited lahar from the slopes of Mayon Volcano. Entire communities and villages were buried in lahar and more than 10,000 families in affected areas needed to be permanently relocated in safer areas. Although Albay perennially suffers the brunt of tropical cyclones because of its geographical location, Typhoon Reming has been the most devastating for the province, leaving about a thousand people dead or missing and with total damages amounting to USD 71 Million.
The aftermath of the disaster saw Albay province develop at least ten resettlement sites in safer areas within the province and provide housing for the massive relocation of families. With the help of various international and local aid organizations, several shelter designs were constructed in Albay resettlement sites. Typhoon Reming also brought about the implementation of new mechanisms in post-disaster recovery and reconstruction, such as the adoption of the UN cluster approach/strategy (i.e., Albay operationalised a provincial shelter reconstruction cluster) and establishment of an overall coordinating body (Albay Mabuhay Task Force). Since Typhoon Reming, the province of Albay also introduced the strategy of “preemptive evacuation” of communities in high-risk areas as a disaster risk reduction (DRR) measure before the onslaught of a strong typhoon.
7. Amendments to BP 220 Implementing Rules and Regulations
Batas Pambansa 220, enacted in 1982, is the law that establishes design standards and technical requirements for socialized and economic housing. To keep with the affordability levels of the target low-income group, some of the minimum design standards provided in BP 220 (particularly minimum lots sizes and floor areas for housing) are more relaxed compared to the provisions in the National Building Code. The minimum lot area set for socialized housing was 32 square meters and the minimum housing unit floor area at 18 square meters. Many government housing beneficiaries have actually found such space allotment inadequate for the average household with five family members.
Amendments in the implementing rules and regulations (IRR) of BP 220 were made in 2008 by virtue of HLURB Resolution No. 824-s2008. The minimum lot area for socialized housing was further downgraded to 28 square meters. (If required setbacks are computed, the minimum housing unit floor area would be 15.75 square meters.) HUDCC and HLURB, in consultation with private housing developers, initiated the latest changes in housing development standards with cost implications in mind. Such lowering of design standards effectively sets aside the need of housing beneficiaries for habitable shelter and improved living conditions in favour of cost and production efficiency.
8. TS Ondoy (Ketsana) flooding
When Tropical Storm Ondoy (Ketsana) hit the central part of the country in September of 2009, it brought an unusually heavy rainfall recorded at 450mm (higher than the monthly accumulated rain for September) which caused massive flooding in Metro Manila and the neighboring Rizal and Laguna provinces. The record-high floods that submerged more than half of the metropolis resulted in more than 1,000 casualties and damaged thousands of homes especially those located along rivers and waterways that overflowed. In the aftermath of the disaster, many placed the blame on informal settlers occupying creeks and riverbanks but as environmental planners later pointed out, the floods were the result of years of uncontrolled urbanization and weak urban management in Metro Manila.
In response to the extent of devastation from the TS Ondoy-induced floods and under the pretext of DRR, LGUs declared areas along creeks, rivers and waterways as danger zones and moved for the relocation of families to resettlement sites in Rizal and Laguna. MMDA’s clearing operations and proposed flood control infrastructure projects further placed thousand of informal settler-families under constant threat of eviction and demolition. Meanwhile, a DILG study conducted during a short moratorium against eviction found public supply of housing units inadequate to relocate those in danger areas. Today, civil society groups are advocating that DRR be used instead to establish safe and disaster-resilient sites for social housing within the city.
TS Ondoy exposed the metropolis’ vulnerability to extreme weather events and is now serving as a catalyst for integrating DRR in social housing projects.
9. Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) and Disaster Risk Reduction (DRR)
Climate change started becoming a media buzzword in 2007 when the UN released a landmark report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) that confirmed global warming is real and linked to human activity. The call to action seemed to resonate only with environmentalists and for many, climate change remained an abstraction. Not until we felt the disastrous impacts of typhoons Frank (2008), Ondoy (2009), and Pepeng (2009) did it become apparent to people that climate change was a problem and adaptation measures were essential.
In response to the impacts of recent typhoon-induced disasters, two laws – RA 9729 (Climate Change Adaptation Act of 2009) and RA 10121 (Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010) – were passed. Both laws made it mandatory to mainstream DRRM in all local government systems and processes, including the formulation of Comprehensive Land Use Plans and Local Shelter Plans. The Philippine Development Plan for 2011-2016 also identifies the incorporation DRRM and CCA as a strategic measure under the housing sector, particularly in developing and implementing appropriate standards in the construction of housing units.
10. Housing and urban development legislation
The tenth item in this list is actually a “non-event” since there was no major piece of housing legislation enacted in the past decade, apart from executive issuances. However, a number of proposed laws have been lobbied by civil society groups to bring about pro-poor reforms in the housing sector. Under the present Aquino administration, social housing-related laws that are being pushed in the legislative agenda include the creation of the Department of Housing and Urban Development; the establishment of Local Housing Boards in every city and municipality; the continuation of the Comprehensive and Integrated Shelter Finance Act II; the Balanced Housing Requirement for Condominium Projects; and the establishment of a National Land Use and Management Act.
MOVING ON
Social housing in the last ten years has been characterised by massive evictions and the off-city relocation of the urban poor due to infrastructure development projects and exacerbated by typhooninduced disasters. Encouraging improvements in the housing situation can be gleaned from the increasing engagement of the private sector/NGOs in social housing projects and the advocacy of civil society groups for a more participative approach to housing the poor.
Providing the poor with secure tenure and decent shelter in sustainable communities will continue to be a formidable challenge in the years ahead as the housing need is estimated to reach 5.8 million units by 2016. Through this difficult scenario, TAO-Pilipinas will carry on with its work of technical assistance and hopefully contribute to a housing sector that is more responsive to the needs of the poor.
References:
1. THE NORTH RAIL AND SOUTH RAIL PROGRAM
• State of the Nation Address 2009: Accomplishments on Housing. Retrieved from http://www.nhmfc.gov.ph/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=103:stateofnationaddress2009&catid=4:news (Accessed 09 August 2011).
• Pabico, Alecks P. (2005). Nightmare at Northrail: Cost of Resettling 40,000 Families Deliberately Hidden. Retrieved from http://www.pcij.org/stories/2005/northrail.html (Accessed 09 August 2011).
2. ISSUANCE OF LAND PROCLAMATIONS BY GMA
• UN HABITAT. (2004). Urban Land for All. Retrieved from http://ww2.unhabitat.org/campaigns/tenure/documents/UrbanLand4AllSmallpdf.pdf (Accessed 30 July 2011).
• Wehrmann, Babette and Antonio, Danilo. (2010). Intermediate land tenure: Inferior instruments for second class citizens?. Retrieved from http://www.fao.org/nr/tenure/land-tenure-journal/index.php/LTJ/article/viewFile/16/57 (Accessed 02 August 2011).
3. EMERGENCE OF THE GAWAD KALINGA COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT MODEL
• Gawad Kalinga Official Website. (2011). http://gk1world.com/NewHistory (Accessed 30 July 2011).
• Habaradas, Raymund B. (no date). Gawad Kalinga: Innovation in the City (and Beyond). Retrieved from http://gk1world.com/innovation-in-the-city-%28and-beyond%29 (Accessed 30 July 2011).
4. CREATION OF THE SHFC AND LOCALIZED CMP
• Ballesteros, Marife M. (2009). Housing policy for the poor: Revisiting UDHA and CISFA. PIDS Policy Notes No. 2009-04. Retrieved from http://www3.pids.gov.ph/ris/pn/pidspn0904.pdf (Accessed 10 August 2011).
• Karaos, Anna Marie, et.al. (2011). Innovative Land Tenure in the Philippines: Challenges, Approaches and Institutionalization. UN HABITAT. Retrieved from http://www.unhabitat.org/pmss/listItemDetails.aspx?publicationID=3144 (Accessed 10 August 2011).
5. USE OF ALTERNATIVE BUILDING MATERIALS BY HABITAT FOR HUMANITY
• Habitat for Humanity Philippines Official Website. (2011). HFHP Innovations in House Construction. Retrieved from http://www.habitat.org.ph/site/building_homes.php (Accessed 30 July 2011).
6. POST-TYPHOON REMING (DURIAN) REHABILITATION
• National Housing Authority. (2011). The Bicol CARE Project: An Update. Retrieved from http://www.nha.gov.ph/news/news_bicol_care.html (Accessed 03 August 2011).
• Lasco, R.D., et.al. (no date). The Role of Local Government Units in Mainstreaming Climate Change Adaptation in the Philippines. Retrieved from http://www.albaycirca.org/albaycirca.org/THE%20ROLE%20OF%20LOCAL%20GOVERNMENT%20UNITS.pdf (Accessed 05 August 2011).
7. AMENDMENTS TO BP220 IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS
• Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council. (2008). VP Noli Launches Revised Standards for Building Affordable Homes. Retrieved from http://www.hudcc.gov.ph/index.php?p=88&type=2&sec=29&aid=197 (Accessed 09 August 2011).
8. TS ONDOY (KETSANA) FLOODING
• Special National Public Reconstruction Commission and Global Facility for Disaster Reduction and Recovery. (2009). Typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng: Post- Disaster Needs Assessment MAIN REPORT.
• Von Einsiedel, Natheniel. (2009). What Went Wrong? (The root of widespread flooding and what we can do about it). TAO Shelter Magazine Issue 7-8. Pages 7-9.
• Department of Interior and Local Government. (2011). Report of the Technical Working Group on Informal Settlers. March 15, 2011.
9. CLIMATE CHANGE ADAPTATION (CCA) AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION (DRR)
• National Economic Development Authority. (2011). Chapter 5 (Accelerating Infrastructure Development) and Chapter 8 (Social Development) of the Philippine Development Plan 2011-2016. Retrieved from http://www.neda.gov.ph/PDP/2011-2016/CHAPTER%205.pdf and http://www.neda.gov.ph/PDP/2011-2016/CHAPTER%208.pdf (Accessed 02 August 2011).
Tags: 10 significant events, housing backlog, milestones, social housing
News Digest | rp | 09 January 2012 |
