House committee approves rent subsidies to assist informal settlers in relocating
A CONSOLIDATED BILL providing for subsidized rent in aid of relocating informal settler households was approved at committee level in the House of Representatives.
The still-unnumbered consolidated bill, which hurdled the House committee on housing and urban development is intended to help such households transition to rental accommodations in the public and private housing markets.
The legislation, if passed, may also be invoked to support families displaced by natural and man-made disasters.
The bill provides for a rent subsidy of P3,500 monthly for qualified beneficiaries in Metro Manila. In the provinces, the subsidy is subject to adjustment by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the National Economic and Development Authority, but capped at P3,500.
The DHSUD will pay the subsidy to qualified beneficiaries identified by the National Housing Authority. The department will also initially fund the subsidy from its own budget. Later, the subsidy will be sourced from the national budget. — Kyle Aristophere T. Atienza
