The National Housing Authority (NHA) has warned beneficiaries who rent out government housing.
NHA general manager Marcelino Escalada said they are pushing for an amendment to their charter to disqualify and replace anyone caught earning from their socialized housing unit.
“In our proposed charter, we are very aggressive to observe the non-payment and non-occupancy. Particularly, the non-occupancy, because we feel… that if and when the original beneficiary does not occupy, therefore, the actual need for housing is no longer there. And henceforth, he ceased to be qualified to that particular public housing,” said Escalada.
He added that other beneficiaries of the housing allegedly only make money out of the unit.
“My instruction was to cancel the award because of kumikita pa si original awardee… Our housing project is only P250, P300, P500 per month. And they are renting it out at P3,000 to P4,000 by other person occupying,” Escalada explained.
So far, the NHA can do nothing because their charter does not have the power to evict a beneficiary.
NHA warns those who rent out gov’t housing units
But as much as possible, they do not do it.
“The philosophy, the moment the NHA evicts, it adds on to the other homelessness in the other side of the gap… As a matter of policy, we will incorporate that. And actually, on the ground, we’re doing it right now. But we will formalize that in our proposed charter,” said Escalada.
A senator also criticized the issue of stagnant socialized housing units.
“It deviates the objective of benefitting the homeless, yung urban poor na ngangailangan ng bahay. Baka naman may bumili, nag-invest lang. Hinihintay yung pagkakataon na ibenta,” said Sen. Francis Tolentino.
So far, only 3,800 of the 55,000 housing units are unoccupied and waiting for a beneficiary.
NHA was tasked to develop and implement a comprehensive and integrated housing program that shall embrace, among others, housing development and resettlement, sources and schemes of financing, and delineation of government and private sector participation.
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