Mayoyao creates local housing board

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

MAYOYAO, Ifugao – The town recently created its local housing board called Mayoyao Municipal Housing Board (MMHB) to provide rural poor communities, people’s organizations (POs), and non-government organizations (NGOs) direct participation in the planning and implementation of local housing programs.

This is in consonance with Republic Act No. 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act (UDHA) of 1992, spelling out local governments as implementing entities and provides a blueprint for socialized housing and just and humane eviction and demolition processes at the local level.

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The MMHB is composed of the mayor as chairman, the vice mayor as vice chairman and the chairperson of the Municipal Council Committee on Housing Development, Municipal Planning and Development Office, Municipal Engineer, Municipal Assessor and a representative from the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, POs, NGOs, and private or business sector as members.

The board is tasked to advise the mayor on matters of sourcing funds for socialized housing on schemes such as Build-Operate-Transfer, bond floatation and other credit financing arrangements, availment of foreign or local grants for which the Board is authorized to receive, loan packages from government financing or lending institutions, joint venture projects with private sector or developers and pooling of resources with other LGUs, the private sector, NGOs and POs.

It is also tasked to oversee the implementation of Section 28 of RA 7279 for eviction and demolition provided just and humane eviction and demolition procedures are made in the rural areas and will oversee and coordinate government activities relative to consultation, relocation and resettlement of underprivileged and homeless rural poor dwellers in cases when evictions and demolitions affecting them are necessary and allowed by existing laws.

The board created a three-member executive committee headed by the mayor or a designated representative to represent the board and act on its behalf when it is not in session.

The municipal government appropriated one percent of its annual Internal Revenue Allotment for the operations and activities of the MMHB. (Dan B. Codamon)