THE issuance of a “blanket” Executive Order (EO) that would ban land conversion for two years is being opposed by Vice President Leni Robredo, saying that it would add to the housing crisis in the country.
In a petition submitted to Malacañang, Robredo--chairperson of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC)--together with Finance Secretary Carlos Dominguez, who initiated the petition, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno, Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez, and National Economic Development Authority (Neda) chief Ernesto Pernia, all said that the proposed banning of land conversion for the next two years will add delays to housing and resettlement processes and further exacerbate the housing backlog which is already reaching "crisis proportions."
“This will further delay our efforts in Yolanda-affected and other disaster-stricken areas, since these sites are mostly within agricultural zones,” she added.
With the impending lack of supply in land for housing, the Vice President expressed concerns that this will drive up the prices of residential lands and consequently, reduce significantly the supply of low-cost housing.
“By unnecessarily locking up the land resources for two years, including those that were already identified as suitable for socialized housing, this will make our mission far more difficult in solving the growing problem of homelessness,” she added.
According to data from HUDCC, out of the 5.7 million projected housing need by the end of 2016, there are 1,502,336 informal settler families (ISFs) that need resettlement and 1,811,338 families, who were victims of natural disasters between 2009 and 2014, that need immediate housing intervention.
“Even as we move to reinvigorate the country’s agri sector, we hope that the steps we take will not hurt the homeless and prolong the agony of the families waiting for supportive housing,” she concluded.
Together with HUDCC, the petition for the Executive to oppose the proposed EO was initiated by the Department of Finance (DOF), Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and the Neda. (Sunnex)