By VENUS MAY H. SARMIENTO MALACAÑANG, through the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) recently ordered the creation of a one-stop shop for filing of applications for License to Sell with the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) as the center.

The move is in response to problems encountered and aired by real estate developers.

HLURB Chief Executive Officer Romulo Fabul and commissioners Arturo Dublado, Teresita Desierto and Jesus Pang are now preparing and finalizing the operating guidelines for the new directives.

Among other provisions, the guidelines call for issuance of License to Sell within five days instead of two weeks from the last date of publication of the application.

Seeking to ensure that compliance projects to Sec 18 or the Balanced Housing Development provision on the Urban Development and Housing Act really benefit the poor or the socialized housing families, developers may now participate in the Socialized Housing Unit Participation Program of the National Housing Authority

HLURB Regional Director Teresita Galacgac said this is a faster and easier mode of compliance where a developer just pays an amount corresponding to 20% of his or her project development cost for housing unit construction of National Housing Authority Resettlement projects in Region I or any other parts of Luzon, including the North and South Rail Resettlement projects.

Developers who have earlier been issued License to Sell for compliance projects within their main project but who find difficulty in selling due to absence of registered beneficiaries or non-affordability, may opt to alter their plan through the SHUP by contracting directly NHA General Manager Federico Laxa or
Atty. Jose Cabrera, NHA Department Manager – NCL (PIA-Pangasinan)