- CHERYL G. CRUZ
The House Committee on Housing and Urban Development, chaired by Negros Occidental 3rd District Rep. Francisco “Kiko” Benitez, approved Monday, May 22, an unnumbered substitute bill, with its corresponding report, seeking to establish a program that will provide informal settler families (ISFs) with an option to avail of rent subsidy whenever they are displaced due to a natural or man-made disaster.
Benitez explained that the proposed program aims to address the need of ISFs for temporary relocation during natural and man-made disasters. The substitute bill consolidated House Bills (HB) 305, 1238, 1708, 1711, 2879, 2941, 3379, 3636, 4173, 4804, 4944, 4980, 5146, 5815, 6736, 7774, 8054, and 7074, a House press release said.
The panel also approved a substitute bill and corresponding committee report for HBs 1183 and 4472, which seek to mandate the allocation of an area for information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure and facilities in subdivisions and housing development projects.
Benitez emphasized that ICT must be treated as a basic utility in housing programs.
The Negros Occidental solon also said that the House passed on second reading this afternoon, May 22, a bill he authored, which seeks to establish an LGU-based agricultural information system.
“HB 7942 will empower LGUs to create online databases of agricultural goods, connecting our hardworking farmers directly with consumers and entrepreneurs,” Benitez said in a post. “Let us continue to support our local farmers and promote sustainable agriculture for a brighter future. Padayon ang Asenso!”
Benitez is also one of the authors of HB No. 1171, which seeks to institutional the One Town, One Product Program (OTOP) to serve as the government’s stimulus program to encourage the growth of micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in the countryside through the use of indigenous raw materials and the utilization of local skills and talents.
The bill, passed on third and final reading this afternoon, got an overwhelming 268 votes, and seeks to institutionalize the Department of Trade and Industry’s OTOP program which started in 2014 to support MSMEs.
“This bill aims to support our MSMEs by providing a package of assistance to develop new, innovative, and more complex products with significant improvement in the areas of quality, product development, design, packaging, standards compliance, marketability, production capability, and brand development, among others,” the House said./CGC
