Question & AnswerQ&A (LTO Resolution NO. R-521-92)
These guidelines are enacted pursuant to Section 40 of R.A. 7279 to provide standards and technical assistance to local government units (LGUs) in inventorying lands and identifying sites for socialized housing, coordinating with relevant agencies such as HLURB, NHA, LMB, and NAMRIA.
The inventory covers all undeveloped and vacant lands zoned for residential purposes, government-owned lands, unregistered or abandoned agricultural and idle lands, lands outside zoned built-up areas suitable for socialized housing, squatter settlements, marginal agricultural lands compliant with DAR conversion criteria, and certain government-owned lands unused for ten years.
Lands covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Law (R.A. 6657), lands used for national defense, lands used or reserved for government facilities, ecological protection areas, and lands used for religious, charitable, educational, cultural, historical, health, or memorial purposes are exempted but must be indicated on maps.
Socialized Housing refers to housing programs and projects for underprivileged and homeless citizens, covering houses and lots or homelots, undertaken by government or private sector, including sites and services development, long-term financing, liberal interest terms, and other benefits under R.A. 7279.
Beneficiaries who reside in urban or urbanizable areas, have incomes within the poverty threshold defined by NEDA, do not own housing facilities, and live in makeshift dwellings without security of tenure.
LGUs are responsible for conducting inventories of lands and identifying suitable sites for socialized housing within their jurisdictions.
HLURB provides guidelines and technical assistance; NAMRIA supplies base maps and aerial photos; LMB provides cadastral maps and government land inventories; NHA makes guidelines available and acts as repository for government land documents; and other agencies provide relevant data on land valuation, agriculture, environment, utilities, and population.
Employment opportunities, availability or feasiblity of basic services, affordable transportation costs, minimal engineering and environmental constraints, zoning compatibility, low land valuation, and favorable tenurial status.
Priority is given to government-owned lands, alienable public lands, unregistered or idle lands, declared Areas for Priority Development (APDs), ZIP and SIR sites not yet acquired, BLISS sites not yet acquired, and lastly privately owned lands.
The inventory must be completed within one year from the effectivity of the guidelines and updated every three years thereafter.
They shall be located within residential zones as delineated in the LGU’s Zoning Ordinance approved by HLURB and duly zoned as SOCIALIZED HOUSING ZONES. LGUs must review and revise their zoning ordinances to integrate the socialized housing component.
These lands, including those acquired via presidential proclamation, shall be transferred to the National Housing Authority (NHA) subject to presidential approval for socialized housing use.
Idle Lands are non-agricultural urban and urbanizable lands with no improvements made by the owner. Idle Government Lands similarly are non-agricultural lands in urban and urbanizable areas with no improvements by the government certified by assessors, including patrimonial properties, public properties, and foreclosed properties.
Techniques include ocular inspection, aerial photo interpretation, Landsat or image interpretation, data sourcing from tax, cadastral, and land use maps, and interviews with knowledgeable local residents.