VOTING 242 against three and without abstentions, the House of Representatives on Wednesday approved on third and final reading a bill providing for the development of sustainable cities and communities throughout the country.
“House Bill No. 6715 aims to create neighborhoods that can provide decent living conditions to our people, especially the poor, including comfortable shelter and recreation facilities, basic services and employment opportunities,” Speaker Martin G. Romualdez said.
Romualdez added poor people from rural communities migrate to cities and other urban areas principally to find jobs and earn money for their families.
“We can prevent such migration if we could build sustainable urban areas, towns and communities and balance national development,” he said.
HB 6715 is a consolidation of three related measures filed by Reps. Jose Francisco Benitez of Negros Occidental, Christian Tell Yap of Tarlac and Ivan Howard Guintu of party list group PINUNO. The other authors of HB 6715 are Majority Leader Manuel Jose “Mannix” M. Dalipe and Reps. John Tracy Cagas, Samuel Versoza Jr., Ambrosio Cruz Jr., Gerville Luistro, Ralph Wendel Tulfo, Jeffrey Soriano, Alfonso Umali Jr., Eric Yap, Edvic Yap, Wilbert Lee, Ma. Victoria Co-Pilar, Bai Dimple Mastura, Irwin Tieng, Lani Mercado-Revilla, Antonio Ferrer, JC Abalos, Edwin Gardiola, Mark Go, Raul Angelo Bongalon, Daphne Lagon, Michael Gorriceta, Adrian Jay Advincula, Anthony Rolando Golez Jr., Jose Maria Zubiri Jr., Rodolfo Ordanes, Antonio Legarda Jr., Wowo Fortes, Francisco Paolo Ortega V, Faustino Michael Carlos Dy III, Jane Castro, Joseph Lara, France Castro, Ruth Mariano-Hernandez, Gabriel Bordado Jr., and Noel Rivera. It was endorsed by the committee on housing and urban development, which Benitez chairs. It short title is, “Sustainable Cities and Communities Act.”
The proposed law would cover all cities and towns, with a majority of barangays classified by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) as urban areas.
They are mandated to align their plans, programs and activities toward the full implementation of the measure and to be guided by Ambisyon 2040, which embodies the country’s long-term development plan.
