Solon wants to streamline process for mass housing

In a statement, Angara warned that the national housing backlog would worsen and turn into a national housing crisis if the bureaucratic red tape in government housing agencies is not reduced. (File Photo: Sonny Angara/Facebook)

MANILA – Senator Sonny Angara on Friday pushed for the streamlining and simplifying of the issuance of housing-related clearances and permits through the creation of one-stop processing centers to address the backlog in the construction of settlements for the informal sector.

In a statement, Angara warned that the national housing backlog would worsen and turn into a national housing crisis if the bureaucratic red tape in government housing agencies is not reduced.

Based on future demand and the current pace of production, the backlog in housing units is forecast to hit 6.6 million by 2022, from 5.5 million in 2016.

“But we can ramp up production by improving the regulatory environment. When there is ease in doing business, financing comes in, and with volume comes affordability,” Angara said.

He said the mandate of several anti-red tape laws should be applied to housing “not just in national government agencies but also in local governments.”

The senator particularly cited Republic Act 10884, which requires the establishment of socialized housing one-stop processing centers.

Angara said building a house is a slog through 27 offices, 78 permits, 156 signatures, 373 documents that could last for months.

For socialized or affordable mass housing, pre-construction processing time could last up to 74 months, if it involves land conversion, titling, and financing, he noted.

“Before you pour your first pail of cement, you have to follow a long paper trail. And many families do not have the energy for that,“ he said.

Angara said government housing officials have reported to him that it normally takes the National Housing Authority 12 to 30 months to get a green light for construction.

For the Social Housing Finance Corporation, the pre-construction processing time for its Community Mortgage Program projects is between 16 to 74 months.