Developers seek faster permit approvals for housing construction

PRIVATE SECTOR developers are seeking faster permit approvals to proceed with the construction of socialized housing units amid the growing housing backlog, according to the Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SDHA).

“Hopefully the permitting gets fine-tuned but it’s a bit more complicated because it involves other government agencies,” SDHA Francis Richmond Z. Villegas told reporters on the sidelines of an event on Thursday.

At least 43 private developers committed to build 251,846 socializing housing units under the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development said in July.

The private developers that committed to the program include the SHDA, Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations, Inc. (CREBA), National Real Estate Association (NREA), and Organization of Socialized and Economic Housing Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP).

Before proceeding with the construction, Mr. Villegas said that developers would need permits such as the barangay clearance, zoning certificate, and license to sell.

In the Philippines, it takes up to two years before all permits are secured to construct socialized housing units, compared to Thailand, where the process for permit approvals only last a month, Mr. Villegas said. — Beatriz Marie D. Cruz