Highlighting a policy need

Cheers to the Manila Bulletin for highlighting the need for a national policy on shelter development—something one does not see regularly in the Philippine press. It also reminded journalists to do more policy reporting.

In “Housing subsidies didn’t benefit the poor — PIDS,” the report discussed the study findings and recommendations of the government think tank Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) on the government’s housing-related subsidies. The study found that a national policy on shelter development should be created and implemented since current housing subsidies or tax perks for the low cost mass housing sector “did not benefit the intended beneficiaries –poor and informal settlers—but rather the intermediaries.”

“The Philippines lacks a national policy on shelter development that integrates infrastructure, housing, and environmental concerns. The current approach to shelter is primarily on a per project basis instead of a city-wide shelter development. The absence of a city-wide approach creates difficulties for the national government and LGUs to address the housing problem on scale,” the Bulletin quoted PIDS senior research fellow Marife Ballesteros as saying.

The report was published in the paper’s business section—a possible indication of how the Bulletin views and frames the issue. Given their direct impact to the people, policy discussions deserve more attention from the press and bigger play in coverage.