WHEREAS , Section 9, Article III of the Constitution mandates the provision of decent housing and basic services to the underprivileged and homeless;

WHEREAS , the government recognizes that shelter is a basic for which the poor require assistance;

WHEREAS , pursuant thereto, mass housing has been declared as the Centerpiece Program of the Administration;

WHEREAS , under the program, the Administration targets to produce 350,000 housing units per year over the period 2000-2004;

WHEREAS , to attain the target, maximum private sector participation is imperative;

WHEREAS , recent policies and strategies on housing are expected to generate interest among the intended beneficiaries who may wish to avail of housing assistance;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA , President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution, do hereby order:

SECTION 1. CREATION OF A PRESIDENTIAL HOUSING ASSISTANCE ONE-STOP CENTER . There is hereby created a Presidential Housing Assistance One-Stop (HAOS) Center to provide information and referral system and facilitate resolution of issues relative to the implementation of socialized and low-cost housing projects. The Presidential HAOS Center shall pursue a more coordinated mechanism to provide comprehensive service delivery and a more responsive organization to address the needs and concerns of the beneficiaries and developers of the program.

The Presidential HAOS Center, which will be under the direct supervision of the Presidential Commission for Mass Housing (PCMH), shall be based in the Presidential Management Staff and shall be manned by a composite team composed of representatives from the PMS, HUDCC and line departments and agencies involved in housing.

SEC. 2. FUNCTIONS. The Presidential HAOS Center shall undertake the following:

A. Ensure maximum private sector participation

1. Serve as a clearing house for private developers of socialized housing projects and undertake due diligence on the capabilities of potential developers;

2. Act as a complaints and action center to address the concerns of developers and facilitate their endorsement and referral to concerned agencies;

3. Undertake review, conduct due diligence, and recommend housing projects that will be accredited and certified by the PCMH as œflagship  projects; and

4. Set-up hotlines to respond to phone in queries of developers.

B. Provide assistance to the target beneficiaries of the project

1. Prepare information plans, such as primers on the availment by the intended beneficiaries of various projects of the government on housing;

2. Establish information and facilitation services desks to assist beneficiaries on the requirements, processes and procedures for the availment of housing units and assistance;

3. Assist beneficiaries in determining appropriate housing programs and financial schemes and facilitate their endorsement/referral to concerned agencies; and

4. Set-up hotlines to respond to phone in queries of beneficiaries.

SEC. 3. CREATING THE REGIONAL AND PROVINCIAL HAOS CENTERS. Regional HAOS Centers (R-HAOS Centers) and Provincial HAOS Centers (P-HAOS Centers) shall likewise be created to provide assistance to developers and intended beneficiaries of housing programs of the National Government and Local Government Units (LGUs) at the local level.

The R-HAOS Centers and P-HAOS Centers shall address bottlenecks, issues and problems related to the implementation of socialized and low-cost housing projects.

The Regional Field Units of PMS and the Provincial Governments shall be the lead coordinators of the R-HAOS Centers and P-HAOS Centers, respectively. Line departments and agencies involved in housing shall provide the manpower support and technical assistance to these Centers, as necessary.

SEC. 4. FUNDING. The Secretary of Budget and Management is hereby directed to allocate funds from the Organizational Adjustment Fund or from any available fund under the annual appropriations of the government to support the operations of the Presidential HAOS Centers, including those of the R-HAOS and P-HAOS Centers. Subsequent funding thereon shall be included in the General Appropriations Act.

Funds for the operation of these Centers shall be released through the PCMH, subject to the submission of the Work and Financial Plan to the Department of Budget and Management.

SEC. 5. REPORTING SYSTEM. The Presidential HAOS Center shall submit quarterly reports to the PCMH on its operations including those of the R-HAOS and P-HAOS Centers.

SEC. 6. EFFECTIVITY. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 23rd day of November, in the year of our Lord, nineteen hundred and ninety-nine.

(SGD.) JOSEPH EJERCITO ESTRADA
President of the Philippines

By the President:

(SGD.) RONALDO B. ZAMORA
Executive Secretary