GMA order to boost housing development

The Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA) has welcomed President Arroyo’s order to government departments to cut down to ninety (90) days the processing of housing permits required in starting up a housing subdivision project.

Noel S. Gonzales, SHDA national president, said that President Arroyo issued the executive order during the National Summit on Housing and Urban Development held recently in Malacañang, which incorporates the recommendations resulting from a joint study made by SHDA and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

"The presidential order will boost the achievement of the government’s commitment of making available 100,000 housing units for the formal sector through the drastic reduction of the administrative requirements in obtaining approval of housing projects from 188 to 45," Gonzales pointed out.

He cited that the executive order mandates, among others:

• The setting up of regional one-stop housing permit offices in the Departments of Agrarian Reform; Environment and Natural Resources; and of the Departments of Agriculture to be manned by responsible officers with delegated authority to accept, process and dispose of applications for housing-related clearances and permits;

• The processing by the regional director of the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, or by the local zoning officer within 10 days from receipt of application for certification of site zoning classification of the land; and in 10 days the application for certificate of registration and license to sell, after receipt of complete application and compliance with the publication requirement;

• Action by the DAR Secretary or regional director in thirty (30) days on applications for conversions order or exemption order under Department of Justice Opinion No. 44, series of 1990, including the DA certificate of eligibility for reclassification of agricultural land and the HLURB certification of site zoning classification of the land, subject of application;

• Action by the DENR Secretary or regional director on application for Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), in 45 days from receipt of complete application; whether the project area is within or outside the national integrated protected area system, in 15 days from receipt of complete application.

The order mandated local government units to issue development permits for housing subdivisions within 30 days from receipt of application, the SHDA president added.

Meanwhile, the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC) is soliciting financial advisory services for the proposed liquidation of its P40-billion mortgage portfolio acquired under the agency’s Unified Home Lending program.

The portolio consists of real estate mortgages extended to low and medium-income borrowers between 1986 to 1996, at interest rates of nine, 12 and 16 percent for a total of 180,000 individual accounts.

Lawyer Angelico T. Salud, NHMFC president, said that while letters to solicit expression of interest for financial advisory services had initially been sent to a number of firms, the acceptance of said letters of intent from other firms is still open.

Salud also informed that the first pre-qualification meeting shall be held on Nov. 12, starting at 2 p.m. at the NHMFC Boardroom, 5th floor, Filomena Bldg., III, 104 Amorsolo St., Legaspi Village, Makati City.

Interested parties may still submit their letter of intent to the chairman, pre-qualification, bids and awards committee-financial advisor, on or before the first pre-qualification meeting on Nov. 12.

Those who had earlier expressed their interest, either through the Office of the NHMFC President, or the Office of the HUDCC Chairman, need not write again as this will already be included for consideration, Salud added.