THANKING President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and lawmakers from the two chambers for the approval of Republic Act 12216, National Housing Authority General Manager Joeben Tai said that the fresh mandate would keep the agency existing to continue building housing units for the poor.
With the Chief Executive signing the measure into law, the NHA’s corporate life has been extended to another 25 years, just for the agency’s 50th anniversary on July 31, Tai said.
RA 11216 (Act Strengthening National Housing Authority by Extending its Corporate Term and Rationalizing its Powers) also expanded the powers of NHA to cover housing operations and even support services, he stressed.
One of the salient provisions of the law includes an increase in capitalization from P5-billion to P10-billion, to be fully paid within 10 years, and the reorganization of the NHA Board of Directors to include concerned government agencies led by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, Department of Public Works and Highways and Department of Budget and Management, among others.
NHA Assistant General Manager Alvin Feliciano said the law also broadens NHA’s mandate to develop climate-resilient housing, partner with local governments and the private sector, and respond to post-disaster housing needs through a newly created Disaster and Emergency Response Housing Office or DERHO.
“The law will also grant tax and fee exemptions for NHA’s operations, including exemption from VAT (value-added tax), real property tax, and building permit fees,” the top agency officials said.
A significant feature of R.A. 12216 puts emphasis on informal settler families and vulnerable sectors, with clear guidelines for resettlement, beneficiary selection, and housing award revocation in cases of abandonment or illegal occupancy, they explained.
Its mother unit, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development also welcomed the signing into law of the National Housing Authority Act, expanding and strengthening the agency mandates, as a huge boost to the recalibrated Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino program.
“We thank the President for signing RA 12216 as NHA will be playing a vital role in the production of housing units under flagship program,” DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said.
