Senator Bong Go filed Senate Bill No. 415 at the start of the 20th Congress, a proposed measure to establish a Rental Housing Subsidy Program to provide essential support for displaced families and informal settlers struggling to secure decent housing.
The bill aims to provide support to recovering families who lost their homes due to disasters and other crises.
“May mga kababayan din tayong nawalan ng bahay, hindi dahil sa sobrang kahirapan kundi dahil sa mga sakuna at trahedya, katulad ng lindol, bagyo, baha at sunog. Kailangan din natin silang matulungan,” Go stressed.
The proposed law, which the veteran legislator also filed in the previous Congress, is anchored on constitutional and statutory mandates that compel the State to address the needs of underprivileged and homeless citizens by ensuring affordable, livable shelter.
The seasoned lawmaker noted that the measure aligns with Republic Act No. 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992, which “mandates the State to undertake, in cooperation with the private sector, a continuing program of urban land reform and housing which will make available at affordable cost descent housing and basic services to underprivileged and homeless citizens in urban centers and resettlement areas”.
The senator underscored the bill’s urgency, pointing to recent socioeconomic data that reflects rising poverty levels and housing insecurity.
“3.9 million Filipino people are living in poverty.”
“Data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) shows that the poverty incidence among the population increased to 23.7% during the first half of 2021 from 21.1% in 2018. This translates to 3.9 million Filipino people living in poverty,” he explained.
Go added that “according to a survey conducted by the Social Weather Stations (SWS) in December 2024, 63% of Filipino families considered themselves poor, marking a 4-percentage point increase from 59% in September 2024”.
He further observed that “the number of families perceiving themselves as poor has been steadily increasing for the third consecutive quarter, following a significant 12-point surge from 46% in March 2024 to 58% in June 2024”.
Go also acknowledged the vulnerability of the Philippines as an archipelagic nation susceptible to calamities. He recalled the devastation caused by Super Typhoon Yolanda in 2013 and the government’s shortcomings in post-disaster housing delivery.
The bill cites that in 2019, the Commission on Audit (COA) flagged the National Housing Authority (NHA) for its failure to complete housing projects intended for Yolanda survivors. Many of the affected families remain in temporary shelters or, in more dire cases, have been forced to live on the streets. Such outcomes highlight significant gaps in the government’s post-disaster housing response—gaps that could have been mitigated or even prevented through timely and well-funded interventions such as rental housing subsidies.
“Despite circumstances in social housing over the past years, it’s not yet too late for the State to fulfill its mandate.”
“Despite circumstances in social housing over the past years, it’s not yet too late for the State to fulfill its mandate of providing adequate, sustainable, and habitable shelter for its people,” the bill asserted.
If enacted, the proposed Rental Housing Subsidy Program would enable informal settler beneficiaries (ISBs) and disaster-affected families to access rental housing in the private market, with subsidies calibrated based on economic standing, prevailing local rental rates, and poverty thresholds.
Eligibility conditions proposed in the bill require beneficiaries to vacate unsafe or unauthorized dwellings, maintain employment or livelihood, and comply with obligations under their rental agreements. Beneficiaries would also be barred from returning to their original informal settlements unless allowed by authorities.
With this, Go continues to push for stronger disaster resilience and housing programs to better protect and support Filipino communities especially those battling poverty and crises.
He had principally authored and co-sponsored RA 12076, or the Ligtas Pinoy Centers Act, which mandates the establishment of permanent, disaster-resilient, and fully equipped evacuation centers nationwide.
Go is also pushing for the passage of his SBN 173 or the proposed creation of the Department of Disaster Resilience (DDR), a priority measure he refiled in the 20th Congress. The DDR seeks to unify disaster risk reduction, preparedness, response, and rehabilitation under one dedicated agency.
