Chamber of Real Estate & Builders' Associations, Inc.

A Home for Every Filipino

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 for housing, employment, and the need to protect the environment.”  It has been termed as […]

Sellers & Buyers – A Balancing of Interests

Unlike courts which render judgment based on their interpretation of law, those who make the laws, policies or rules are often confronted with a familiar conundrum – how to balance divergent interests to achieve the greater good, without alienating anyone. Given CREBA’s kaleidoscopic membership and its vision for homeless millions, its leaders can only empathize […]

Compliance Alternatives: A Question of Legality

Sometime in 2011, we recommended three alternative modes of compliance with the Balanced Housing requirement under Section 18 of RA 7279. Congress adopted two of those recommendations when it enacted RA 10884 which amended RA 7279. These were (1) development of socialized housing condominiums, and (2) development of socialized housing projects via joint venture with […]

Maceda Law: 50 Years of Patience is Enough

“One cannot enrich himself at the expense of another” – so says the legal precept. The Maceda Law was enacted on August 26, 1972 “to protect buyers of real estate on installment payments against onerous and oppressive conditions.” Essentially, it grants installment buyers the following rights: The right to pay in advance any installment or […]

Preserve VAT exemption status quo

The Chamber appeals anew for immediate government intervention against the looming value-added tax imposition on housing purchases, as the three-year reprieve under Republic Act No. 10693 or the Tax Reform for Acceleration and Inclusion (TRAIN Law) ceases by December 2020. Such intervention is imperative not only to stimulate the housing industry as the number one […]

Reforming Philippine Property Valuation

CREBA welcomes the proposed Property Valuation Reform Bill, or Package 3 of the Comprehensive Tax Reform Program (CTRP) for seeking to introduce reforms in real property valuation and assessment, reorganizing in the process, the Bureau of Local Government Finance (BLGF) under the finance department. As a group composed of most of the country’s property industry […]