House bill to condone debt of housing beneficiaries

A CONGRESSMAN has filed a bill that seeks to condone delinquent accounts of the government’s housing beneficiaries and integrate abandoned housing units into the state’s low-cost housing project.

House Bill 9911 also proposes to condone all unpaid amortization, association dues and miscellaneous fees incurred by delinquent residents.

“This shall help reduce the financial burden of existing socialized housing beneficiaries in order for them to live a productive and fruitful life, free of financial burdens incurred from the payment of socialized housing units,” Party-list Rep. Ivan Howard A. Guintu said in the bill’s explanatory note.

Under the proposed law, the National Housing Authority (NHA) may condone or write off unpaid amortization lease payments and association dues of beneficiaries under its socialized housing program.

To be covered by the condonation are beneficiaries that were awarded housing units since 2004.

It will also allow NHA to cancel dues if the housing unit has been abandoned, unlawfully transferred, illegally occupied or violates any occupancy regulations. Housing units with canceled awards will be transferred to the government’s national housing program.

In 2022, NHA said 22,635 housing units awarded under its housing program remained unoccupied.

“The NHA faces difficulties in collecting amortization payments regularly and within the scheduled payment from its beneficiaries despite the modernization of its collection methods,” Mr. Guintu said, citing state auditors’ latest audit reports.

“The Commission on Audit noted that this is due to the financial incapability of the beneficiaries to pay its dues,” he added.

The Marcos government’s flagship housing program seeks to build 6 million housing units by 2028.