Rental Housing Subsidy Act
Filed on March 9, 2026, and referred to the Committees on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement; Social Justice, Welfare and Rural Development; and Finance; it has been pending in committee since April 23, 2026, with no recorded action since that date.
The bill addresses the urgent housing needs of informal settler families, a significant issue in urban areas.
The bill responds to ongoing housing challenges faced by informal settlers, especially in urban areas.
Rental Housing Subsidy Act
The Rental Housing Subsidy Act aims to establish a program providing rental housing subsidies for informal settler families, ensuring they have access to adequate housing while awaiting permanent relocation.
Compared with current law:
No rental subsidy program exists for informal settler families.
Establishes a rental subsidy program to support informal settler families during relocation.
The Rental Housing Subsidy Act aims to provide rental subsidies to informal settler families, helping them access temporary housing while they await permanent relocation. This program is designed to prevent homelessness during periods of displacement.
Source · full text✦ Dashed tags are AI-suggested nuance; solid tags follow the committee taxonomy.
Stalled: the bill has been pending in committee for several months with no action since the Technical Working Group was conducted on April 23, 2026.
No floor deliberations yet — this measure has not reached plenary. Its committee-stage actions appear under Legislative history above.
Senate /Offirp of the secretarp TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES First Regular Session 26 MAR 10 A11:10 SENATE RECEIVED BY: S. No. 1956 Introduced by SENATOR CAMILLE A. VILLAR AN ACT ESTABLISHING A RENTAL HOUSING SUBSIDY PROGRAM FOR INFORMAL SETTLER FAMILIES, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR EXPLANATORY NOTE The Constitutional mandate to uphold the dignity of every Filipino includes the duty to ensure access to adequate housing, especially for the most vulnerable sectors of society. Despite years of State efforts to provide proper and adequate housing to all Filipino families, informal settler families continue to live in precarious conditions, exposed to hazards, without tenure security, and often at risk of displacement due to government infrastructure projects or natural calamities. This bill seeks to establish the Rental Housing Subsidy Program to serve as an innovative and humane intervention in addressing housing needs, especially for informal settler families. Under the program, eligible beneficiaries will receive a monthly rental subsidy to temporarily access the formal housing market while awaiting permanent relocation. This ensures that no family is rendered homeless during periods of dislocation. This measure also sets clear eligibility conditions, mechanisms, for continuous compliance, and the coordinated responsibilities of key government agencies and local government units. By institutionalizing this program, we are bridging the gap between displacement and permanent resettlement, as well as protecting the rights of the poor, reducing homelessness, and promoting inclusive urban development.
Thus, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. CAMILLE VILLAR
Senate Office of the Beretary REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES REFUELE OF THE PELIPE First Regular Session 26 MAR 10 A11:10 SENATE RECEIVED BY: S. No. 1956 Introduced by SENATOR CAMILLE A. VILLAR AN ACT ESTABLISHING A RENTAL HOUSING SUBSIDY PROGRAM FOR INFORMAL SETTLER FAMILIES AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled: ARTICLE I GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Rental Housing Subsidy
4 Act".
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is hereby declared the policy of the State to:
a. Promote a just, equitable, and inclusive urban development through programs providing adequate social services, broader housing options, livelihood and employment, and an improved quality of life for the Filipino people, especially the underprivileged; b. Provide an innovative housing program that makes available affordable, livable, and decent housing, as well as access to basic social services, especially for the underprivileged; c. Protect the urban poor from the impact of immediate dislocation due to eviction and demolition arising from government projects; and d. Provide interim housing for dislocated families due to natural and man-made disasters.
Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:
a. Dislocation refers to the state of being displaced from one place to another due to causes such as eviction and demolition effected by the authorities, or due to natural or man-made disasters; b. Informal settler families refer to households living on a lot, whether private or public, without the consent of the property owner; or those without legal claim over the property they are occupying; or those living in danger areas such as esteros, railroad tracks, garbage dumps, riverbanks, shorelines, and waterways, as defined in Section 3(e) of Republic Act No. 11201, otherwise known as the "Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Act"; and C. Rental housing subsidy refers to the financial assistance provided by the government to pay for the temporary use or occupancy of a residential unit in the public and private rental housing market.
Sec. 4. Rental Housing Subsidy Program. - There is hereby established the
Rental Housing Subsidy Program, hereinafter referred to as the "Program", to provide social protection and support to informal settler families (ISFs) in accessing the formal housing market under the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD). Eligible ISFs shall receive a flat monthly rental subsidy rate of Three Thousand Five Hundred Pesos (PhP3,500.00) for those living in Metro Manila and a rental subsidy rate to be determined by the DHSUD and the Department of Economy, Planning and Development (DEPDEV) for those living in all other regions, taking into consideration the prevailing minimum wage and rental rates per region, but not to exceed Three Thousand Five Hundred Pesos (PhP3,500.00): Provided, That the rental subsidy shall not exceed the actual rent: Provided further, That at any time, but not more often than once every two (2) years, such subsidy may be reviewed or revised by the DHSUD and DEPDEV to conform with the prevailing economic conditions.
Rental subsidy shall be granted to eligible beneficiaries until the date of completion of the permanent housing project intended for them or upon their actual 3 transfer to the permanent housing project, whichever comes first: Provided, That in case of a delay in the completion of the permanent housing project, the rental subsidy 5 shall be extended: Provided further, That the agency implementing the permanent housing project shall bear the cost of the extended rental subsidy.
Sec. 5. Eligibility. - To be eligible for rental subsidy under this Act, a beneficiary
9 must be an IS as defined under Section 3(b) hereof and has either: a. vacated the informal settlement area presently being occupied and transfer to a safer and government-authorized area; b. been evicted or the house demolished by the government authorities; c. been displaced or the house destroyed due to natural or man-made disasters.
Sec. 6. Conditions for Continued Entitlement or Eligibility. - All beneficiaries shall
comply with the following conditions to continuously be entitled to the benefits under this Act: a. The beneficiaries, or any member of the beneficiaries' immediate family, shall not move or relocate back to the area in which they were originally living in; and b. The beneficiaries shall pay to the lessor that portion of the rental fee not covered by the subsidy, and be current or updated in the payment of their rentals.
Sec. 7. Form of Payment. - The rental subsidy shall be distributed by the DHSUD
in such form it may determine to be most beneficial and appropriate for the beneficiaries.
Sec. 8. Roles of Government Agencies. - The various national government
agencies and instrumentalities involved in the Program shall perform specific responsibilities.
a. The DHSUD shall: 1. Coordinate with housing agencies to formulate Program targets and integrate these to the national housing policy; 2. Promulgate appropriate housing policies among the attached corporations of DHSUD in line with the implementation of this Program; 3. Enlist qualified beneficiaries and their lessors for the Program; 4. Set up monitoring and evaluation system, tools, exit strategy and methodologies on compliance with conditions, implementation, output, and impact assessments together with its attached agencies, the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP), and the local government units; and 5. Recommend to Congress measures for the proper and responsive implementation of this Act. b. The National Housing Authority (NHA) shall: 1. Certify the eligibility of the applicants of the Program; 2. Coordinate with government agencies, including the Department of Public Works and Highways and the Department of Transportation, on the identification of areas suitable for housing projects and the persons who need immediate resettlement or relocation; 3. Update the master list of beneficiaries to be resettled as part of the National Resettlement Program which shall include their socio-economic profiles; and 4. Design and conduct appropriate monitoring and evaluation of the implementation of this Program which shall include a grievance and redress system. c. The Home Development Mutual Fund shall enroll in its system at least one household member of the applicant-beneficiaries of the Program to facilitate their entry into the formal housing market.
d. The DSWD shall design the social preparation activities and conduct workshops and training programs to ensure that beneficiaries are aware of the benefits under the Program, including the parameters and conditions for eligibility. e. The PCUP shall: 1. Assist the DSWD in the design of social preparation activities, workshops, and training programs for beneficiaries; and 2. Conduct social preparation activities with the local government units. f. The Technical Education and Skills Development Authority shall provide skills training to at least one household member of the beneficiaries. g. The local government units shall: 1. Maintain a publicly accessible register of lessors in their respective areas of jurisdiction; 2. Assist the NHA in conducting census and tagging of ISFs in need of immediate resettlement; 3. Assist the DSWD and PCUP in conducting social preparation activities; 4. Contain the vacated areas of ISFs to help achieve the objectives of this Program; 5. Assist the DSWD in monitoring and evaluating the implementation of this Program; and 6. Conduct with the DSWD field evaluation of beneficiaries and their respective lessors in the rental housing units.
Sec. 9. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the implementation of this
Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
Sec. 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The DHSUD shall, in
coordination with relevant government agencies, issue rules, regulations, and guidelines necessary to carry out the intent and purposes of this Act within six (6) months from the date of effectivity.
Sec. 11. Mandatory Review on the Implementation of this Act. - The DHSUD
shall submit to both Houses of Congress a report on the implementation of this Program at the end of the second year from the date of effectivity of this Act and every two (2) years thereafter.
Sec. 12. Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is held
unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining provisions not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force and effect.
Sec. 13. Repealing Clause. - All laws, executive orders, proclamations, rules,
regulations and other issuances or parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.
Sec. 14. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation. Approved,
Reproduced from the Senate document. The official PDF is the authoritative version.