Do Filipinos have Housing Right?

Every Filipino has the right to have a decent standard of living, to

have a house in which they can stay feeling secure, has privacy
and protected.
According to John Locke, Man has certain rights, rights such as
right to liberty, right to work, right to education, right to property
(right to private property housing/shelter) and etc. Man is
human, and humans have rights which are inherent to all human
beings whatever nationality, sex, race, colour, language, ethnic or
culture.
The right to housing is not just a right; it is also a basic necessity
of a man to have a shelter. In Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of
Needs Theory, man has five stages of needs for him to survive
(1) the biological and physiological needs, (2) safety needs, (3)
belongingness and love needs, (4) esteem needs, and (5) selfactualization.
It is one of the biological and physiological needs (basic needs) of
a man to have a house, just as he needs air to breath, food,
water, sex, sleep, and etc. The house serves as a protection of
man from harm and among others.
As to legal basis of the right to housing it is stated in:
Art. 25 par. 1 of the Declaration of Universal Human Rights
Everyone has the right to a standard of living
adequate, for the health and well-being of himself
and of his family, including food, clothing, HOUSING
and medical care and necessary social services, and
the right to security in the event of unemployment,
sickness, disability, widowhood, old age, or other lack
of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control.
Art. 11 section 1 of the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights
The States Parties to the present Covenant
recognize the right of everyone to an adequate
standard of living for himself and his family, including
food, clothing and HOUSING, and to the continuous
improvement of living conditions.
R.A. 7279, known as the Urban Development and Housing
act of 1992, also provides a comprehensive and continuing
urban development and housing program to those who are
underprivileged and homeless as what is stated on section

(2) par. (a) Uplift the conditions of the underprivileged and

homeless citizens in urban areas and in resettlement areas
by making available to them decent housing at affordable
cost, basic services, and employment opportunities.
Paragraph (b) sub-paragraph (5) also provides Access
to land and housing by underprivileged and homeless
citizens. Underprivileged and homeless citizens is
defined under section (3) paragraph (T) refers to the
beneficiaries of this act and to individuals or families
residing in urban and urbanizable areas who income or
combined household income falls within poverty
threshold as defined by the National Economic and
Development Authority.
Talking about housing for the underprivileged and homeless, there
is this duty of the state to provide the homeless and
underprivileged with the shelter as stated in Section 9, Art. 13 of
the Constitution:
"The state shall, by law, and for the common good,
undertake, in cooperation with private sector, a
continuing program of urban land reform and housing
which will make available at affordable cost decent
housing and basic services to underprivileged and
homeless citizens in urban centers and resettlements
areas.it shall also promote adequate employment
opportunities to such citizens. In the implementation of
such program the state shall respect the rights of small
property owners...an example of which is the Gawad
Kalinga Program.
We conclude that Filipinos have the right to housing as it is an
inherent right, a biological and physiological need, and it is stated
in certain provisions.