The historical signing marks the transfer of titles of the Lupang Katuparan housing project and the Philippine Centennial Village to qualified occupants as provided under EO 70 and amended by EO 465
The Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) and the Taguig City government recently signed the Implementing Rules and Regulations and the Code of Policies to fully implement Executive 70 as amended by EO 465, declaring BCDA’s properties in Fort Bonifacio namely, Lupang Katuparan and the Philippine Centennial Village, to be used for socialized housing by qualified occupants and beneficiaries who will be identified by the National Housing Authority (NHA).
BCDA and the Taguig local government signed the said Rules and Policies together with the NHA, Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Office of the Congressional Representative of Taguig City, Urban Poor Affairs Office (UPAO)-Taguig City, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP), and the Department of National Defense
Under EO 70, 48 hectares of Lupang Katuparan and 13.08 hectares of the Philippine Centennial Village to qualified beneficiaries are part of the Bonifacio Housing and Information Technology Zone (BHIT) Property declared as socialized housing sites transferred to HUDCC and eventually on 2011 to NHA.
During the event, Taguig City Mayor Maria Laarni Cayetano said the signing not only formalizes the transfer of titles to qualified families but will also elevate the local government’s mandate to implement programs that would improve the lives of the people living in the said properties.
“It will no longer be difficult for the local government to find justification in implementing basic projects such as improvement in the distribution of water and drainage systems, as well as road projects in Lupang Katuparan and in the Philippine Centennial Village,” Mayor Cayetano said in Filipino.
At present, 35 hectares of the Lupang Katuparan housing project has 2,774 households, 2,225 structures, and 3,260 generated lots while 7.8 hectares of the Philippine Centennial Village located in Brgy. Western Bicutan also in Taguig City has 1,140 condominium units with 13 four-storey building and 1,059 households, and more or less 848 structures.
Other attendees who graced the event include DENR Chief of Staff Usec. Rodolfo Garcia, HUDCC Deputy Secretary General Asec. Leira Buan, HUDCC Asset Reform Group Director Jeanette Cruz, PCUP Commissioner Norman Baloro, and Officer-in-Charge of BCDA Project Management Department Jovito Sunga.
The Implementing Rules and Regulations of EO 70 ensures the disposition of both properties to qualified occupants and entails the development of the properties into viable communities. The IRR also guarantees consideration of human rights and the development of gender equality.
Meanwhile, the Code of Policies shall provide security of tenure to qualified occupants, ensure that maximum use of the properties will complement developments based on the Land Use Plan of the NHA, and disqualify professional squatters.
The IRR and COP have been completed and were ratified after 16 years by the Executive Committee created under EO 70. The committee composed of HUDCC, NHA, DENR, BCDA, Taguig Local Government, PCUP, UPAO, Office of the Congressional Representative of Taguig City and DND, is mandated to formulate policies for the implementation of the said law. A Technical Working Group was also created to conduct technical preparations and consultations to finalize the IRR and COP.