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Photo Credit: Pinoy Trending FB page
BILANG pansamantalang solusyon sa problema sa kakulangan ng maayos na matutuluyan, isinusulong ni former House Speaker at Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez ang panukalang P3,500 buwanang subsidiya sa mga kwalipikadong informal settler families (ISF).
Sa ilalim ng House Bill 7230 (Rental Housing Subsidy Program Act) partikular na tinutulak ng dating lider ng Kamara ang programang magsisilbi umanong suporta at social protection sa hanay ng ISFs na sumasailalim sa assessment ng Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) para sa pabahay ng gobyerno.
Ayon kay Romualdez, ang pagkakaloob ng buwanang subsidiya sa pagbabayad sa paupahang tirahan ay magiging opsiyon ng gobyerno sa pagkakaloob ng temporary relocation ng mga pamilyang biktima ng natural o man-made disasters.
“Financial aid to low-income families or displaced individuals help afford decent housing in the rental market, acting as a flexible safety net when permanent solutions are not immediate. This gives better access to jobs/schools, and often serves as a bridge until permanent housing is available,” dugtong ng kinatawan ng Leyte.
Bukod kay Romualdez, tumatayong co-author ng HB 7230 si Tingog Rep. Jude Acidre.
Ayon kay Acudre, layunin ng panukala tugunan ang itinataguyod ng Saligang Batas — ang pagkakaroon ng abot-kaya at disenteng pabahay at basic services sa mga underprivileged at homeless citizen na nasa iba’t-ibang urban centers at resettlements areas.
Sa ilalim ng HB 7230, ang ISFs aniya ay ang “households living on a lot, whether private or public, without the consent of the property owner; or those without legal claim over the property they are occupying; or those living in danger areas such as esteros, railroad tracks, garbage dumps, riverbanks, shorelines, and waterways, as defined in Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 11201, otherwise known as the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Act.”
“Rental housing subsidy” (meanwhile) shall refer to the financial assistance provided by the government to pay for the temporary use or occupancy of a residential unit in the public and private rental housing market,” dugtong ng partylist solon.
Sa ilalim ng naturang proposed measure, ang eligible ISFs na naninirahan sa Metro Manila ay tatanggap ng rental subsidy ng P3,500.
Para sa mga nasa ibang rehiyon naman, sinabi ni Acidre na ang halaga ng subsidiya ay tutukuyin ng DHSUD at National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA) kung saan pangunahing ikokonsidera ang umiiral na minimum wage at rental rates sa bawat rehiyon, subalit ito’y hindi dapat lalampas ng P3,500 per month at higit sa aktwal na rental rate.
“The DHSUD and NEDA may revise the rates at any time, but not more often than once every two years, to conform with the prevailing economic conditions.” (ROMER R. BUTUYAN)
