Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development
Agency name	Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development

Contents

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development is a national executive department responsible for housing, urban planning, and settlement upgrades. It interacts with agencies such as United Nations Human Settlements Programme, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Monetary Fund, and regional bodies like Association of Southeast Asian Nations and European Investment Bank to coordinate projects. The department partners with local authorities including Metro Manila, Quezon City, Cebu City, Davao City, and international cities like Singapore and Seoul on policies.

History

The agency traces antecedents to colonial-era institutions such as the Public Works Department, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, National Housing Authority, Social Housing Finance Corporation, and postwar reconstruction programs tied to the Bretton Woods Conference and United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration. During periods influenced by leaders including Ferdinand Marcos, Corazon Aquino, Fidel V. Ramos, Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, and Rodrigo Duterte reforms merged shelter initiatives from bodies like the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation and Human Settlements Adjudication Commission. Legislative milestones linking housing and urban development involved statutes comparable to the Republic Act No. 7160 and debates in the House of Representatives of the Philippines and the Senate of the Philippines where figures such as Benigno Aquino III and Joseph Estrada shaped urban policy. International agreements such as the Habitat II conference and the Millennium Development Goals influenced later restructuring tied to global frameworks like the Sustainable Development Goals.

The department's core mandate encompasses urban renewal, informal settler relocation, socialized housing, land tenure security, and shelter finance coordination, aligning with instruments from United Nations, World Bank, Asian Development Bank, International Labour Organization, and bilateral partners like Japan International Cooperation Agency and United States Agency for International Development. It develops programs that intersect with planning authorities including National Economic and Development Authority, Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Public Works and Highways, and regulatory bodies such as the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board and Land Registration Authority. The department issues guidelines affecting projects funded by Overseas Development Assistance donors and instruments under frameworks like the Paris Agreement and New Urban Agenda.

Organizational units mirror functions seen in ministries such as Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (India), Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Japan), and Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities (United Kingdom). Leadership includes a cabinet-level secretary who liaises with the President of the Philippines, committees in the House of Representatives of the Philippines, and oversight bodies like the Commission on Audit and Office of the Ombudsman. Attached agencies and corporations operate similarly to Social Security System, Philippine Health Insurance Corporation, National Housing Authority, Home Development Mutual Fund, Social Housing Finance Corporation, and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council. Regional offices coordinate with provincial governments including Cebu, Davao, Batangas, and metropolitan authorities such as the Metro Manila Development Authority.

Major programs include socialized housing projects, in-city redevelopment akin to initiatives in Singapore, Hong Kong, and Seoul, resettlement projects comparable to those after Typhoon Yolanda, and climate-resilient housing modeled on efforts in Bangladesh, Netherlands, and Japan. Initiatives span partnerships with financiers like the Asian Development Bank, World Bank, Islamic Development Bank, and private developers similar to Ayala Corporation, SM Prime Holdings, Megaworld Corporation, and Robinsons Land Corporation. Pilot projects often reference standards from International Organization for Standardization, World Green Building Council, and disaster risk guidelines from United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Funding streams include national appropriations debated in the Congress of the Philippines, multilateral loans from institutions such as the World Bank, Asian Development Bank, and bilateral credit lines from Japan International Cooperation Agency and Korea Development Bank. Budget execution is reviewed by the Commission on Audit, subject to procurement rules influenced by precedents like cases before the Supreme Court of the Philippines and oversight by the Department of Budget and Management. Fiscal allocations are often compared to spending in jurisdictions such as Singapore, South Korea, Japan, and Australia.

Key statutory instruments affecting the department reference laws debated in the Senate of the Philippines and enacted by the Congress of the Philippines alongside regulatory issuances from the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board, Land Registration Authority, and executive orders from the Office of the President. Policy development draws on international frameworks like the New Urban Agenda, Sustainable Development Goals, and commitments under the Paris Agreement, with technical norms referencing ISO standards and guidelines from the United Nations Human Settlements Programme.

Controversies include disputes over land acquisition, eminent domain cases litigated in the Supreme Court of the Philippines, procurement controversies examined by the Commission on Audit, and social movements led by groups similar to Kilusang Mayo Uno, Anakpawis, and Urban Poor Associates. Criticism often cites comparisons to urban redevelopment outcomes in Manila Bay, disaster responses after Typhoon Haiyan (Yolanda), and debates involving urban policy scholars from institutions like University of the Philippines, Ateneo de Manila University, De La Salle University, and international commentators from Brookings Institution, World Resources Institute, and International Institute for Environment and Development.

Category:Philippine government departments