Socialized housing bill open to corruption

EDITORIAL

The approval by the House of Representatives on third and final reading Monday night a bill seeking to authorize local government units (LGUs) to acquire lands for informal settler families is most welcome but open to abuse and corruption by unscrupulous groups, politicians and others in government if stringent rules on its implementation are not followed,considering these could be circumvented.

Negros Occidental Rep. Alfredo Benitez, chairman of the House committee on housing and urban development, said House Bill 6342 grants LGUs the power to identify lands to be acquired as sites for socialized housing. 

The bill was authored by Reps. Walden Bello, Felix William Fuentebella, Winston Castelo, Joaquin Chipeco Jr., Barry Gutierrez and Eric Olivarez.

Under the measure, the acquisition of lands to build housing projects for the poor shall be through community mortgage, land swapping, land assembly or consolidation, land banking, donation to government joint venture agreement negotiated purchase and expropriation.

The bill allows the expropriation of lands, including those whose ownership are subject of pending cases in court. The aggrieved in such court cases for example, could be done another injustice considering their lands could be taken away from them even if the full judicial process like cases ending at the Supreme Courthad not been exhausted. 

The bill also stipulates lands owned by the government, alienable lands of the public domain, unregistered or abandoned lands, areas of priority development as well as  zonal and slum improvement and resettlement program sites are among the areas that can be used as socialized housing sites.

Private lands or BLISS (Bagong Lipunan Improvement of Sites and Services) areas that have not been awarded may also be converted for socialized housing program.

Prioritization of areas to be developed into socialized housing areas will also depend on concerned government agencies. The intent of the bill maybe good, but then, as earlier said, corrupt government officials could use this for their own vested interests by giving public lands for example, to undeserving, favored individuals or supporters.

Strict screening of beneficiaries is needed. In some urban areas for example, some rich, organized squatter groups have invaded public and private lands and have notoriously held on to these at the expense of legitimate landowners. They have even encroached on watersheds.  These unscrupulous groups could apply for socialized housing under the bill. How could this, for example, be addressed?