The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) reported Tuesday that its central office and 17 regional offices have maintained zero overdue regulatory applications for 20 consecutive weeks.
The department said its Housing and Real Estate Development and Regulation Bureau and regional offices have sustained the record since June as part of efforts to streamline regulatory processes and improve public service delivery.
Under existing DHSUD regulations, regional offices are required to approve or deny applications, or issue a Notice of Deficiency of Requirements, within 15 days.
Applicants who receive a deficiency notice are given 90 days to submit the necessary documents.
The sustained performance is attributed to the department’s Zero Backlog Program, implemented under the directive of DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling to accelerate application processing and strengthen transparency.
The initiative was introduced following an internal audit that uncovered backlogs in several regional offices, prompting the agency to improve its monitoring and processing systems.
Meanwhile, the DHSUD has turned over 190 house-and-lot units to the municipal government of Caoayan, Ilocos Sur, for families displaced by a magnitude 7 earthquake and successive typhoons that struck the Ilocos Region in 2022.
The housing units, located at the Caoayan Resettlement Project in Barangay Villamar, are intended for families whose homes were destroyed by the disasters and those residing in areas vulnerable to natural hazards.
Aliling said the resettlement initiative seeks to provide affected families with safer and more permanent housing while ensuring access to essential services, public facilities, and livelihood opportunities.
The project was implemented by the DHSUD as the lead agency of the National Shelter Cluster, using funds from the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Fund.
Under the Ilocos Region Rehabilitation and Recovery Program, DHSUD Regional Office 1 was assigned to oversee the provision of basic services and necessary facilities at the resettlement site.
The department said the housing initiative forms part of its continuing efforts to support disaster-affected communities and provide secure housing for vulnerable Filipino families.
