The Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) was created by then President Corazon C. Aquino by virtue of Executive Order No. 90 dated 17 December 1986.  The EO, which also abolished the Ministry of Human Settlements, placed HUDCC under the direct supervision of the Office of the President to serve as the highest policy making body for housing and coordinate the activities of the government housing agencies to ensure the accomplishment of the National Shelter Program.

The Council is composed of the following:

• The Heads of four (4) Key Shelter Agencies (KSAs), namely: the National Housing Authority (NHA), the Home Guaranty Corporation (HGC), the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (HGC), and the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB);
  
• The Heads of three (3) funding agencies, namely: the  Social Security System (SSS), the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) and the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF);
  
• The Heads of seven (7) government support agencies, which include the  Presidential Management Staff (PMS), the Department of Finance (DOF), the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), the National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA); and
  
• Two (2) private sector representatives from Non-Government Organizations (NGOs) and private developers.
  

The Chairman of the HUDCC sits as Chairman of the Board of the Key Shelter Agencies and exercises supervision over the operations of the NHA, HGC, HLURB, and the NHMFC and its subsidiary, the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC).

The HUDCC Secretariat is primarily involved in staff functions, rendering technical, secretariat and other support services to the Council.  It is the lead agency in the formulation of national objectives, policies and strategies for housing and urban development, designing broad strategies for the accomplishment of the government’s housing objectives and providing directions to ensure rational land use for the equitable distribution and enjoyment of development benefits.

Upon its creation, HUDCC, led by its Chairman Herminio Aquino, has led a well-coordinated and integrated housing delivery system, utilizing a matrix of specialized but interlinked housing agencies consisting of the NHA, NHMFC, HLURB, HGC and the HDMF – a marked difference from the grandiose and highly centralized Ministry of Human Settlements of the deposed Marcos Administration.

President Aquino redirected the mandate of the government housing sector as an “enabler” or facilitator” in assisting homeless Filipino people in their quest for a roof over their heads. Together with this mandate is the recognition of the essential role of the private sector in housing and the provision of incentives for them to engage in housing construction and development.

As a result, the primacy of the private sector involvement in housing development with special focus on people empowerment and community initiatives had become the Administration’s notable legacy in the housing sector.

With the mandate given to HUDCC, the agency, under the leadership of Chairman Teodoro Katigbak, coordinated the formulation and implementation of the Unified Home Lending Program (UHLP) to revive the home financing institutions and rationalize the mortgage financing systems.  The program pooled the housing funds of the three pension agencies, the Social Security System, the Government Service Insurance System, and the Home Development Mutual Fund, for lending to developers and employees for mortgages and development financing.
 
This enabled the government to channel its funds directly to socialized housing, or housing for the lowest thirty percent of the population, thus paving the way for the creation of the Community Mortgage Program or CMP.  The program allows residents of blighted or depressed areas to own the lots they occupy and to improve and construct their houses.

The HUDCC remained to be the primary coordinating agency on housing when the Ramos Administration adopted an eight-point policy thrust namely: 1) housing as a means of social intervention and catalyst for economic activity; 2) people-centered and aided self-help approach to housing; 3) maximum multi-sectoral participation; 4) easier land access for housing; 5) development of regional growth poles; 6) sustainability and matching of housing finance with beneficiaries’ affordability; 7) maintenance of ecological balance in urban development and housing; and 8) improvement of housing delivery system.
 
With Chairman Dionisio de la Serna at the helm of HUDCC, the Ramos Administration’s approach in addressing the problem of homelessness was fleshed out. First, it boldly committed itself to providing 1.2 million families with housing assistance and ensured that its shelter agencies operated effectively and focused its efforts on socialized housing. Second, it made concrete efforts to secure more funding for housing to support its bold targets by passing legislations that would ensure funding for housing and adopting innovative approaches. Third, it ensured that the provisions of Republic Act 7279 or the Urban Development and Housing Act on addressing urban development and homelessness were translated into specific actions for the implementation by the Local Government Units and other concerned agencies. Fourth, it formulated and implemented the Social Reform Agenda (SRA), which abolished repressive laws and addressed the concerns of the urban poor. The SRA for the urban poor also reinforced the participation of non-government organizations, the private sector, and the people themselves in projects/programs and in crafting policies on housing and urban development. Finally, it implemented concrete projects that improved the environment of cities like urban renewal, studies for solid waste management and capacity building for LGUs in urban administration.

When the Estrada Administration assumed the presidency in July 1998, the housing sector was beset with a multitude of serious problems. The housing backlog was estimated at 3.36 million households, of which only 941,600 families could afford housing priced at P180,000 and below. The government housing program had come to a standstill because funds had dried up, the UHLP had been discontinued due to lack of funds and the administration inherited a total of 100,000 unoccupied housing units.

The situation prompted the Estrada Administration to conduct a thorough review of the sector, and took courageous stance to reform the housing sector through rationalization of housing policy and use of government's funds and subsidy. To revitalize the housing sector, President Estrada issued Executive Order No. 159 on 12 October 1999, declaring mass housing as the centerpiece program of the Administration. The President likewise created the Presidential Commission for Mass Housing (PCMH), under the leadership of Secretary Leonora de Jesus, and took full responsibility, taking on its full Chairmanship. The current administration targeted the provision of 350,000 shelter security per annum for the next four years which requires funding of about P90 billion per year.

To ensure the attainment of these targets, President Estrada with HUDCC as its workhorse, formulated a two-pronged program, a sustainable private sector-led and government-led housing program.

The Sustainable Private Sector-Led Program sought to operate market mechanisms to ensure efficient utilization of resources and provision of quality housing units.

On the other hand, the Government-Led Housing Program intended to accelerate the provision of security of tenure to informal settlers, by synchronizing the relocation of informal settlers with the implementation of major government programs and projects, such as the provision of necessary economic and social services.  To expand the coverage of the programs, HUDCC provided LGUs with funds for their housing programs, and directed them to complete their Comprehensive Land Use Plans (CLUPs) and identify areas for socialized housing.

By exercising the powers of the Presidency through the issuance of Presidential Proclamations designating specific government lands for socialized housing, President Estrada was initially able to address the tenure of many informal settlers in government lands.
While the changes of EDSA II which catapulted President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to the presidency in January 2001 abruptly terminated the Estrada Administration, the push to provide secure tenure for the homeless and underprivileged citizens was nonetheless sustained.

The Arroyo administration supported the global campaign on “Secure Tenure and Good Urban Governance” and embarked on an Asset Reform Program that would benefit the poor.  Under the leadership of Secretary Michael Defensor, the President tasked HUDCC to identify idle government lands suitable for housing for possible disposition to qualified beneficiaries.
Recognizing that housing and urban development is one of the critical areas that the government should address, the President appointed no less than Vice President Noli de Castro as the Chairman of the HUDCC in 2004.

With the Vice President at the helm of the housing sector, the first order of business that he tackled was to put the housing bureaucracy in order – making each Key Shelter Agency understand the overarching goal of the sector and directing them to focus on their core functions.  This removed distortions, overlaps and duplications in the KSA tasks and paved the way for a more efficient and effective system of addressing the housing problems.

To achieve the President’s agenda of Decongesting Metro Manila by developing infrastructure projects and housing centers in other regions, the Vice President took on the daunting task of implementing the most massive relocation program ever undertaken by the government – the Northrail and Southrail resettlement program.  This paved the way for the development of the mass rail transport system connecting Metro Manila and provinces in Luzon.

The rail resettlement program and other initiatives, such as the Asset Reform Program, an enhanced Community Mortgage Program and putting in place a sound housing finance system, are the flagship programs of HUDCC under the direction of Vice President Noli de Castro.  With this overall direction, HUDCC continues to oversee the implementation of housing programs and projects of Key Shelter Agencies and provide the policy environment for the private sector to participate in the housing sector.