A senior legislator on Friday urged the National Housing Authority to speed up the processing of applications for some 55,000 unoccupied houses that are ready for occupancy.
Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez, chairperson of the House committee on housing and urban developments, said the NHA should act swiftly to prevent anarchy because some groups are out to forcibly occupy those houses.
Benitez called on law enforcement agencies to secure all housing projects covered by Joint Resolution 2 that President Rodrigo Duterte signed last month.
“We recognize the need and growing desperation among urban poor for adequate housing. However, we put prime in the rule of law and the institutional process to address social issues,” Benitez said.
“We cannot let desperation lead to anarchy,” he added.
Benitez was referring to the attempt of some 500 members of a local urban poor group affiliated with the urban poor group Kalipunan ng Damayang Mahihirap (Kadamay) to forcibly take over an NHA housing project in Rodriguez, Rizal last Wednesday.
Benitez said joint Resolution 2 provides that the NHA will award the houses only to qualified urban poor applicants.
“Pursuant to this measure, NHA should work double time to institute mechanisms for informal settler families, including KADAMAY members, to avail low-cost housing formerly under the PNP/AFP housing program,” he said.
Benitez said the joint resolution was expected to address the controversy surrounding the P20-billion AFP/PNP housing program that has failed to really benefit policemen, firemen and soldiers to whom the NHA housing units were originally intended.
He also warned against the deterioration of the houses should the NHA fail to award the housing units immediately.
Earlier, the House conducted an inquiry into reports of low occupancy rates and substandard quality housing units last year, prompting unauthorized takeover of completed but idle housing units in Pandi, Bulacan by the Kadamay members in March 2017.