HLURB Exceeds 2011 Targets
The Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) exceeded its targets in 2011 as it embarked on several programs that cut across its three major mandates of planning, regulation and adjudication.
HLURB Chief Executive Officer Antonio M. Bernardo stresses a point during a seminar conducted by the Board on the Magna Carta for Homeowners and Homeowners Association aimed at capacitating the regional personnel in their task to apprise the homeowners of their duties and responsibilities.
The HLURB, the government’s principal agency for land use and housing development, is one of six Key Shelter Agencies (KSAS) under the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) chaired by Vice President Jejomar C. Binay.
In a statement, HLURB Chief Executive Officer Antonio M. Bernardo said 1,344 Local Government Units (LGUS) and Homeowners Associations (HOAS) combined have increased their level of awareness on the Magna Carta for Homeowners and Homeowners Associations (HOAS) through numerous seminars and workshop conducted by HLURB.
A total of 784 residential projects have been issued License to Sell (LS) with 308,308 against a target of 166,500 dwelling units were licensed. While the increase in the number of licensed residential projects and units indicates a high demand for residential units, the government is also keen on addressing the problem of unoccupied dwelling units.
A total of 1,798 cases were handled by the HLURB which exceeded by 42 percent the 2011 target. For appealed cases, the board has no backlog, as all cases on appeal before the board had been resolved or draft resolutions had been prepared and scheduled for deliberation by the end of 2011.
Bernardo admitted however that the adjudication of regional cases needs to be improved. He expressed hope that the approval of the new rules of procedures and adoption of a legal monitoring system would accelerate the disposition of cases.
He explained that instead of using an absolute number as the target, the new monitoring system will continuously check the actual number of cases filed and how many were disposed by the HLURB.
On the other hand, Bernardo said a total of 195 LGUS or 76 percent higher than the 111 LGUS targeted for the year have been assisted by the board in the preparation of their Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) last year.
The CLUP and Zoning Ordinance (ZO) defines the land uses, regulations, development strategies, proposed programs and projects addressing social, economical, infrastructure and climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction.
As for CLUPS awaiting the board’s approval, Bernardo said 360 LGUS or 188 percent higher than the 125 LGUS targeted for the year were assisted and monitored by the agency.
HLURB has facilitated the approval of 77 CLUPS which have undergone review by Provincial Land Use Committee (PLUC) and Regional Land Use Committee (RLUC) where the board also serve as a member he said.
Bernardo said the number of deputized Zoning Administrators supervised by HLURB has increased by 40 percent or a total of 700 against a target of 500. The board only deputizes zoning administrators for LGUS without approved CLUPS or ZOS.