Chamber of Real Estate & Builders' Associations, Inc.

A Home for Every Filipino

ADVOCACIES

Pursuing the vision of a home for every Filipino

CREBA’s initiatives and advocacies have been consistently focused not just on the interest of its members, but also on enabling all Filipino families to acquire decent, affordable homes.

CREBA stands proud, knowing that its faithful adherence to its philosophy and vision has earned for it the continuing respect of Government ~ to the extent that CREBA’s position is sought on any law, policy or rule that may affect the industry that it represents or those that it serves.

The Catalog is organized in descending chronology. A catalog entry may not necessarily have a preview, but is linked to the corresponding write-up/article.

Older

Rectifying Inequity & Ambiguities of the Maceda Law – Revisiting the 50-year old law that has been prejudicial to installment sellers, and proposing amendments.

Towards Equitable, Sustainable Land Use Interventions. – A historical account of CREBA’s continuing quest to ensure availability of land for non-agricultural development purposes, with a compilation of CREBA’s legislative and policy recommendations on land allocation over the years.

Towards an Effective, Sustainable Homebuyer Financing System. – A historical account of CREBA’s continuing quest for the institution of a Centralized Home Financing Program (CHFP), with a compilation of CREBA’s recommendations on housing finance over the years.

VAT on Low-Income Housing: An Anti-Poor Measure. – A historical account of CREBA’s continuing advocacy against application of the VAT to low-income housing.

Reforming Philippine Property Valuation. – Proposed measures to reform an antiquated valuation system characterized by multiple, inconsistent, outdated, inaccurate and often arbitrary valuations imposed by the national and local governments.

Quality Housing Laws.Position on several congressional bills posing adverse impact on real estate and housing

Towards Speedy Land Registration. Position against congressional bills seeking to require DAR clearances before a land title can be registered.

No to Land Conversion Moratorium. Position against the proposed imposition of a 2-year conversion ban.

Social Housing: Better Pricing and Loan Terms Combined.Recommendations to reduce cost of socialized housing and facilitate availment of affordable housing loans.

Mass Housing as an Investment Priority.Recommendations to enhance the guidelines for availment of incentives for socialized housing under the BOI Investment Priorities Plan

Local One-Stop Shops for Housing. Position on congressional bills seeking to transfer the power to approve subdivision plans to local housing boards.

Local Housing Boards: Another bureaucratic Layer? Proposal to revise several congressional bills filed for the creation of local housing boards.

Congressional Bills on Real Estate & Housing. Position on several bills filed in the Lower House and Senate that pose adverse impact on the industry.

Socialized Condominiums in Urban Areas. – Proposed measure to enable development of socialized and low-cost condominiums in urban areas.

Redefining Socialized Housing Price Ceilings. Recommendations for a multi-tiered price ceiling scheme to accommodate government housing programs for the informal sector.

Tax Incentives for Socialized Housing. A call to standardize and streamline the processes and requirements in the availment of incentives granted under RA 7279.

NO to Requirement for BIR Ruling for BOI-Registered Housing Projects. Position against the BIR imposition.

Foreign Ownership of Lands in the Philippines. – Recommending a review of the Constitutional prohibition against 100% ownership of Philippine land by foreign nationals.

Balanced Housing: Alternative Modes of Compliance. Proposed revisions to the implementing rules of the Social Housing Quota under RA 7279, to facilitate attainment of the objectives of the law.  The proposals were incorporated in RA 10884 amending the UDHA.

Energy Within Our Reach.A call for measures to reduce the cost of electricity.

Administrative Infrastructure Reforms via a Department of Housing. – A historical account of CREBA’s long-standing quest for the creation of the Department of Housing, with a compilation of CREBA’s position papers throughout the years.

Towards Sensible Land & Housing Development Standards. –A compilation of CREBA’s recommendations designed to ensure a balancing of the interests of the citizenry and the industry, via sensible implementing rules of PD 957 and BP 220.

Land Conversion Rules: A Mockery of the Law. – A compilation of CREBA’s position papers and articles throughout the years relative to land conversion, in a historical account of CREBA’s long-standing conflict with the DAR.

Reducing Social Housing Costs by Simplifying Regulatory Processes.  – CREBA’s formulation of the Executive Order creating the Social Housing One-Stop Processing Center (SHOPC) pursuant to RA 7279.

Illegality of the Creditable Withholding Tax (CWT): – CREBA’s fight against the imposition by the BIR of the CWT under RR 12-89. This led to the issuance of the amendatory RR 2-90 which exempted social housing projects and reduced the rate for HEREBs certified by CREBA.

Sensible Fiscal & Monetary Interventions: – A package of proposed fiscal and monetary measures in response to prevailing situations.

Funding Measures for Socialized & Low-Income Housing. – During the deliberations on the bill for the Urban Development and Housing Act, CREBA proposed the inclusion of eleven (11) measures to allocate and mobilize funds in support of social and low-income housing. Four (4) of these measures were included in the law; the rest were included in the Comprehensive and Integrated Shelter Finance Act (CISFA) of 1994.

Liberalizing Development Standards for Low-Income Housing. – Prior to 1982, only high-cost high-priced housing packages could be produced, due to the stringent land development and housing construction standards under PD 957. CREBA advocated the liberalization of these standards to enable the production of socialized and low-income housing. This led to the enactment of the Social Housing Law (BP 220).

Dispensing with the Proposed Constitutional Amendment on Land Grants. – In 1981, the Martial Law regime proposed to include a “land grants” clause in the Constitution, which could have allowed the government to dole out State-owned lands to its favored few. Vocal opposition by CREBA was instrumental in the rejection by the National Assembly of this proposed amendment.

Spin-off of NHA’s Regulatory Powers. – To enable the NHA to effectively focus on government housing production, CREBA proposed the creation of a separate regulatory body. This led to the creation of the Human Settlements Regulatory Commission now known as the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), under EO 648 of 1981. The HLURB’s development standards and guidelines, promulgated in continuing close collaboration with CREBA, have since then governed the approval and licensing process for land and housing development nationwide.

Creation of a Savings Fund Pool for Housing. – CREBA proposed a savings/fund pooling scheme of employee-employer contributions, to generate a special provident and housing fund for employees. This led to the creation of the Pag-IBIG Fund under PD 1752 of 1980.

Creation of  a Secondary Market System for Home Mortgages. – CREBA’s advocacy for a home mortgage system similar to that of the US encourage the flow of private capital into housing led to the creation of NHMFC in 1977.

Reduction of the Open Space Requirement for Subdivisions. – The Martial Law regime imposed a 30% open space requirement (exclusive of roads) for subdivisions, which would have considerably raised housing production costs and the price of housing packages. Responding to CREBA’s call for reduction, PD 1216 was issued, wherein the 30% open space requirement was revised to include roads.

Centralized Regulation of the Real Estate Business. – Prior to 1975, regulation of land and housing development activities was exercised by local government units (LGUs). Rules and standards varied from one locality to another, lacking central coordination and planning, thus creating a developmental nightmare. CREBA advocated regulatory centralization and standardization, and the Martial Law regime responded with issuance of the PD 757 creating the NHA and PD 957 (Subdivision and Condominium Buyers Protection Decree).

Construction of Water Mains Throughout Metro Manila.This was implemented in 1975, as a result of CREBA’s representations with the MWSS to address the water needs of a burgeoning urban population.

Reduction of the Real Property Tax Rate. – In the first year of the Martial Law regime, then President Marcos issued PD 25 which imposed a tax of 100% of the assessed value of  real property. Because of CREBA’s vocal opposition, an amendatory decree (PD 76) was issued, reducing the tax base to only 30%, 40% and 50% respectively, for residential, agricultural and industrial/commercial property.

Unfold

Recent

Balanced Housing – New Compliance Mode

As an alternative mode of compliance, direct donations to LGUs would be a better replacement for the suspended Housing Escrow Fund mechanism – IF the Chamber’s recommended safeguards against misuse were to be incorporated in the proposed legislation.

Read More »

Real Property Valuation Reform

In the assessment of land for real property tax purposes, using the generic land classifications in the Local Government Code – rather than the sub-classifications based on legally permissible uses under the CLUP – often result in distortions in valuation, taxation and pricing in the land markets.

Read More »

The proposed NLUA – good or bad legislation?

It has been said that the avowed purpose of the proposed National Land Use Act (NLUA) is to institute a “framework for allocating scarce land resources to meet the requirements of a growing population not just for food, but also

Read More »

Land Registration Reforms

Public faith in the Torrens system of land registration has been severely eroded by decades of rampant title fakery, land grabbing, title laundering and other nefarious acts perpetrated with the use of dubious titles. Despite stringent safeguards in the land

Read More »

Housing Escrow Fund – Cause for Serious Concern

The Housing Escrow Fund is a fund pool comprised of fund contributions by developers who opt to comply with the legally mandated balanced housing requirement via certain alternative modes of compliance. Under the law, a developer proposing to undertake a

Read More »

Rectifying Inequity & Ambiguities of the Maceda Law

Evident in many laws relating to real estate is the underlying presumption that every act of a developer proceeds from avarice. Apparently proceeding from this presumption of guilt, the general trend in these laws has been to impose excessive demands

Read More »