HISTORY OF HOUSING

WHAT IS HOUSING

1. The opportunity for better lives and a better future (UN-Habitat). Housing is the basis of stability
and security for an individual or family. The center of our social, emotional, and sometimes economic
lives, a home should be a sanctuary place to live in peace, security, and dignity.

2. Building for people to live in (Cambridge Dictionary).

The Housing Continuum

• Homeless
• Emergency Shelters
• Transitional Housing
• Social Housing
• Affordable Rental Housing
• Affordable Home Ownership
• Market Rental Housing
• Market Home Ownership

Shelter has always been made to accommodate people. This is probably the reason why people,
even if they found comfort in caves and huts in the past, continue to change their domestic
environment.

The architectural heritage of the Philippines is a reflection of its rich history and culture, showcasing
a diverse range of influences from other nations. These influences have contributed to the
development of current designs, characterized by a fusion of cultural elements alongside Western
architectural styles. The architectural landscape of the Philippines has evolved in tandem with the
nation's development and the aspirations of its populace. However, remnants of a splendid bygone
era continue to be deeply ingrained in the annals of the country's history.

• Bahay Kubo. Bahay Kubo (Nipa Hut), is a small hut comprising of nipa, bamboo, and other
native materials. Many citizens to this day still adopt this style of habitation due to its simple
design, ease of execution, and its readily available materials. To this day, the Bahay Kubo is a
common sight in rural communities, as well as in tropical resorts.

• Bahay na Bato. The Spanish colonial era brought about stone and masonry construction in
the Philippines, which led to the development of infrastructure, namely roads and bridges,
paving the way for the introduction of another traditional Filipino home, Bahay na Bato
(Stone House). With adobe walls as its structural foundation and wood as the main materials
for the large open-layout upper levels, the Hispanic style that originated from Central
America was ideal for the Philippine climate fraught with natural disasters.
• Tsalet. With the transfer of colonial power from Spain to the United States in 1898 came a
number of architectural advancements in the Philippines. One of these was the emphasis on
sanitary values, which laid the foundation for the introduction of a toilet, or a Cubeta,
through a pail conservancy system. This led to the introduction of the concept of a well-
planned neighborhood called Sanitary Barrio, and later Tsalet.

Defined as 'the crossbreed of the tropical features of vernacular buildings with hygienic
structural principles and modern materials', tsalet designs brought about simplified functions
 of the Filipino home. Private garages had become commonplace, as well as the occupants'
bathroom and kitchen now being situated inside the home, employing modern features such
as the flush system and modern shower.
• Bungalow. Amidst the American colonial period came about further major architectural
developments, including the origin of the most common type of occupancy in the country,
the bungalow. These low-rise homes sport a pitched roof and a horizontal shape, with the
roof typically made of galvanized iron, walls made of concrete, and equipped with a yard, a
garden, or covered car port-if not all three.

This traditional Filipino house is often found in urban areas, as they are easier and less
expensive to build than a multi-story home. With caring for elders being significant in Filipino
culture, the bungalow is also ideal for senior residents due to its size, ease of maintenance,
and suitability for movement through the home. Bungalows also offer more privacy to their
occupants who can utilize the surrounding trees and fences to block the windows.
• Townhouses. Typically found in the early residential developments in urban areas.
Subdivisions across the country have adopted this type of design, providing an urban feel
without having to live in the city center. Townhouses are considered 'starter homes' for new
families, especially as they are the most economical in terms of lot area and overall cost of
building and maintenance.
• Condominium. Condominiums have taken over major cities because of the comfort and
convenience they provide to make them the ideal residence for city dwellers. Residents have
direct access to gyms and recreational facilities, without the added worry about maintaining
yards and garages. These types of homes come with their own building security, landscapers,
repairmen, housekeepers, and all kinds of services. Its visual impact paints the skylines of the
country's central city hubs today.

BEFORE 1950S

The National Housing Authority (NHA) is the sole national agency mandated to engage in housing
production for low income families. It traces its roots to the People's Homesite Corporation (PHC),
the first government housing agency established on 14 October 1938 and to the National Housing
Commission (NHC) which was created seven years later, on 17 September 1945. These two agencies,
the PHC and NHC, were eventually merged on 4 October 1947 into the People's Homesite and
Housing Corporation (PHHC).

The first Social Housing was directed by the President Quezon on 14 October, 1938. People's Home
site Corporation (PHC), the subsidiary of the National Development Company (NDC). Six years later,
National Housing Corporation (NHC) was created. In 1947 both PHC and NHC were merged into
People's Home site and Housing Corporation (PHHC) (Balllesteros, 2002).

PHILIPPINE HOMESITE CORPORATION (1938-1945)

President Quezon directed the immediate creation of the People's Homesite Corporation (PHC) as
the first government housing agency on 14 October 1938. This was to be a subsidiary of the National
Development Company (NDC). Appointed chairman of the PHC board was Alejandro Roces Sr. Other
members of the board included Ambrosio Magsaysay, Vicente Fragante, Jose Paez and Dr. Eugenio
Hernando. Ramon Roces was appointed manager with an annual salary pf P1.00. During its meeting
on October 10, 1939, the Phc Board of Directors approved a resolution to purchase a tract of land
consisting of 15, 723, 191 sq.m. in Diliman Esttate owned by Doña Teresa Tuazon at P0.50 per sq.m.

The areas called "Projects" in Quezon City where government housing projects that started to
relocate Manila residents after World War II (1939-1945). However, this progra originated with the
1938 plans of President Manuel Luis Molina Quezón (1878-1944) to build the Balintawak City (now
Quezon City) as the new capital of the Philippines. Quezón's Homestead Program was developed to
entice people to move into the new city, with the People's Homesite Corporation (PHC) developing
the roads and houses in the 1,529 hectares of Diliman Estate, purchased from the Tuason clan,
through the matriarch Doña Maria Teresa Eriberta De La Paz Tuason (1867- 1951), as mitigated by
her nephew Angel "Bobby" M. Tuason Valdez (1899-1948). The one of the first communities
constructed was Barrio Obrero (Worker's Village) in the current Kamuning District.

PHILIPPINE HOMESITE and HOUSING CORPORATION (1945-1975)

After World War II, specifically the Battle of Manila (February 3 to March 3, 1945), much of Manila
was left in shambles by the US bombings, Japanese sapping, and street to street fire fights. After the
war, it was up to President Sergio Osmeña Sr. (1878-1961) to rebuilt Manila and other cities
devastated by the war, as well as find housing for the families displaced by the destruction of their
homes, with the establishment of the National Housing Commission (NHC) in 1945. After Osmeña's
term ended in 1946, it was his Successor, Manuel Acuña Roxas (1892-1948), to continue the post
war-reconstruction and housing with the establishment of the People's Homesite and Housing
Corporation (PHHC) in 1947.

HOUSING PROJECTS IN QUEZON CITY

From Quezon to Quirino's programs, Arch. Juan Arellano was the chief architect in planning Projects
1 to 3, with designs that were inspired by the Spanish colonial "Bahay na Bato," while adopting
modern architectural requirements and aesthetics. The first homes were bungalow-type houses in
100 square meter lots, but latter designs had two-stories that occupied 180 and 240 square meter
lots. The later homes showcased capiz shell windows (Placuna placenta), further showing its colonial
inspiration.

Arch. Juan Marcos de Guzmán Arellano (1888-1960) is known as one of the Philippines founding
fathers of architecture. He finished his studies at the Ateneo Municipal de Manila in 1908; while
taking art lessons under noted masters Lorenzo Leogardo Guerrero (1835-1904). Toribio Asona
Antillon (1856-1913), and Fabian de la Rosa. When most people thought that he would pursue a full-
time career in the arts, Arellano decided to take architectural studies at the Drexel Institute in 1908,
and further architectural studies at the Académie des Beaux-Arts. However, the draw to painting
could not be resisted and he to additional art studies at the Pennsylvania Academy of the Fine Arts in
1911. As an architect, Arellano is most noted for Manila's Metropolitan Theater (1935), Executive
House (1926, now houses the National Museum of the Philippines), the Manila Post Office Building
(1926), and Jones Bridge.

During the term of President Ramon del Fierro Magsaysay (1907-1957), the People's Homesite and
Housing Corporation completed Projects 5 to 8 between 1955 and 1957. However, with the tragic
death of Pres. Magsaysay, no new major housing projects were enacted, until the term of President
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (1917-1989). Pres. Magsaysay was so beloved by the people
that they renamed the Quezon City High School Annex (est. 1953) to Ramon Magsaysay High School,
and founded a Project 8 barangay in his name after Victoriano Dinum Diamonon (1894-1977). drafter
the modern barangay law in 1962. Project 1 started as Barrio Obrero (Workers' Barrio) in 1939, and
has expanded to include the currently named Barangay Roxas and Barangay Kamuning by 1949. The
Barrio Obrero started with 439 houses, which were raffled to blue-collar workers at an installment
payment plan of eight pesos a month.

Project 8 is the 2nd largest of the Homesite locations; and is comprised of the barangays of Baesa,
Bahay Toro, Ramon Magsaysay, Sangandaan, and Santo Kristo. Aside for the American period Bago
Bantay Naval Radio Station, the area of Project 8 had an older history that reached to the Spanish
colonial period, as it was part of the Balintawak District that is noted for the revolutionary "Sigaw ng
Pugad Lawin" of 1896 and the 1936 Jesuit San José Seminary (now the Quezon City General
Hospital). With the establishment of Project 8, the much of area was named as Barrio Bagong Pag-
asa, and it was first developed to house informal settlers and indigent families for Manila's districts of
Intramuros, Singalong, Paco and Tondo. Years later, more communities were developed for
government employees, specifically for those of the Government Service and Insurance System
(GSIS) and congress.

After the completion of the Homesite Projects in the 1950s, presidents Carlos Polestico Garcia (1896-
1971) and Diosdado Pangan Macapagal Sr. (1910-1997) enacted other housing programs for Manila;
such as the Presidential Assistant on Housing and Resettlement Agency (PAHRA), the Tondo
Foreshore Development Authority (TFDA), the Central Institute for the Training and Relocation of
Urban Squatters (CITRUS), the Presidential Committee for Housing and Urban Resettlement
(PRECHUR), and the the Sapang Palay Development Committee (SPDC). However, Pres. Ferdinand
Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. (1917-1989) instituted the National Housing Authority (NHA), which
absorbed all these government agencies. And in 1978, the Ministry of Human Settlements (MHS)
under First Lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos (born 1929) was tasked to implement a more holistic
approach to housing with the 1979 Bagong Lipunan Improvement of Sites and Services (BLISS). The
BLISS program developed the Bagong Lipunan Pag-asa Condominium compound in Project 8.

In the years that followed, six (6) more housing agencies were created to respond to separate and
distinct shelter requirements, namely: the Presidential Assistant on Housing and Resettlement
Agency (PAHRA); the Tondo Foreshore Development Authority (TFDA); the Central Institute for the
Training and Relocation of Urban Squatters (CITRUS); the Presidential Committee for Housing and
Urban Resettlement (PRECHUR); the Sapang Palay Development Committee (SPDC); the Inter-Agency
task Force to Undertake the Relocation of Families in Barrio Nabacaan, Villanueva, Misamis Oriental.

Eventually, on 15 October 1975, the National Housing Authority was organized as a government-
owned and controlled corporation, by virtue of Presidential Decree No. 757 dated 31 July 1975. All
other housing agencies were abolished by the said decree. The NHA took over and integrated the
functions of the abolished agencies- the PHHC and the six (6) other housing agencies. The creation of
the NHA is the second attempt of the government to integrate all housing efforts under a single
agency, twenty-eight years after the merger under the PHHC. Three years later, the Ministry of
Human Settlements (MHS) was created in 1978. The Ministry adopted the holistic approach to
housing. the NHA was placed as an attached agency to the MHS.

MINISTRY OF HUMAN SETTLEMENTS

• Ministry of Human Settlements (MHS] ran all nine shelter programs under one umbrella that
started since 1950s.
• Presidential Decree No 1396, s. 1978, signed on June 2, 1978 by President Ferdinand E
Marcos created the Department of Human Settlements and the Human Settlement
 Development Corp. "to carry out the policy and economic development in our communities
within the integrative framework of human settlement."

The decree states that "man and his community require the fulfillment of the following basic
needs and requirements such as water, power, food, clothing. shelter, medical services,
education, sports and recreation, economic base (livelihood), mobility and ecological balance
embodied in a humanistic ideology for the realization of a New Society."

First Lady and Metro Manila Governor Imelda Romualdez Marcos served as the Minister of Human
Settlements.

INSTITUTIONAL ROLES

Establishment of 'Central Institute for the Training and Relocation of Urban Squatters' under the
executive order No. 79 by the president of the Republic of the Philippines

• order to carry out a devise solution to the problems of urban squatting and training,
relocation and rehabilitation of urban squatter
• This Institute will be under the administrative control and supervision the Social Welfare
Administration (Official Gazette, 1967).

Presidential Assistance on Housing and Resettlement Agency (1973) (Official Gazette, 1973)

Tondo Foreshore Development Authority (1974):- Tondo reaffirmed the assumption that if given
security of tenure and basic services, families will build their own housing, the quality of which
surpassed even the most optimistic predictions (Tondo Urban Development Project, n.d).

Inter-agency Task Force on Nabacaan, Misamis Oriental Relocation (1973);

Central Institute for the Training and Relocation of Urban Squatters (1974), (Official Gazette, 1967)