Estero de San Miguel micro-Medium Rise Building - Legarda Street, Sampaloc, Manila

In February the Department of the Interior and Local Government announced the plan to transfer
577 families of informal settlers in Sampaloc, Manila, to what it described as the first environmentfriendly, disaster-resilient housing project in an in-city relocation site under the Lumikas para Iwas
Kalamidad at Sakit, or Oplan Likas.
A model unit of the buildingthe Estero de San Miguel micro-Medium Rise Building (micro-MRB)
now stands along Estero de San Miguel on Legarda Street, in Sampaloc, Manila, which is
uniquely designed for energy and water conservation, and resistant to flood and earthquakes.
The three-story building has a rainwater-harvesting
systemincluding a built-in water tank on the roof
that will allow building occupants to harvest
rainwater.
The unit has windows designed for crossventilation and is built to withstand an intensity7 earthquake. The second and third levels of
the unit are for beneficiaries, while the ground
floor are open space for possible commercial
useto encourage livelihood activities among
housing
beneficiaries. This would also ensure the safety of the building occupants in case of excessive
rainfall that could trigger flash floods.
Each of the micro-MRB occupies a 24-square-meter (sq m) lot and each unit of approximately 18sq-m floor area has a kitchen and toilet. It was built outside the 3-meter easement along the Estero
de San Miguel along Legarda Street.
Based on the approved peoples proposal submitted by the project beneficiaries, the monthly
amortization ranges from as low as P350 to P500, depending on the beneficiaries income or
capacity to pay.
Government agencies/NGOs/private sector involved:
The program is being spearheaded by the DILG, the Department of Social Welfare and
Development in partnership with the Department of Public Works and Highways and Department
of Environment and Natural Resources.
Site-specific designs
Designs for socialized housing, according to Regala, also the president of the United Architects of
the Philippines, are site-specific, considering limitations under existing laws, policies and
guidelines set by key shelter agencies and the availability of land for housing development.
Regala said the site or location for housing projects are assessed and evaluated as certified safe.
By 2016 the government targets to relocate Metro Manilas 104,000 informal-settler families who
are living along creeks, rivers and esteros, which are considered danger zones to in-city and off-

Estero de San Miguel micro-Medium Rise Building - Legarda Street, Sampaloc, Manila
city relocation sites. This is part of the Aquino administrations disaster-risk reduction and floodcontrol plan in the countrys capital region.
For areas devastated by typhoons in 2013, such as in the Visayas that was ravaged by Super
typhoon Yolanda (international code name Haiyan), the governments battle cry is build back
better. This requires site identification for permanent housing for more than 200,000 families who
lost their homes. For Yolanda survivors, housing are designed to withstand strong typhoons in an
area away from the 40-meter easement that was declared as no-build zones by the government.
The structures to be built are 22-sq-m units of row houses, designed to withstand a wind load of
250 kilometers per hours, and strength of wall and superstructure of 3,000 pounds per square inch
(psi, a unit of measure for pressure).
Limitations
However, lack of accredited green technologies for socialized housing, lack of suitable relocation
sites and budget limitations are some of the challenges the NHA is facing.
While the HUDCC allows a maximum cost of P450,000, inclusive of the costs for land acquisition
and development and housing construction, the NHA allocates a maximum of P290,000 per unit.
Each unit ranges from 24-sq-m to 30-sq-m floor area, with a room or two, bath and toilet as set by
Housing and Land Use Regulatory guidelines and as mandated by Batas Pambansa 220.
NHA projects are contracted out to accredited private contractors as mandated by Republic Act
9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act, which gives the contractors the option on the
technology or materials to use.
For off-city, low-rise buildings, five-story buildings are constructed with a maximum unit cost of
P550,000. For Yolanda-affected areas, Regala said the government, both national and local, are
having problems identifying areas for the massive resettlement projects.
Not all green designs the NHA has can be appliedsuch as rainwater harvesting and a dualpiping system for water conservationto give the projects a green touch.
She said such designs would entail additional costs that would exceed the budget ceiling under
the HUDCC guidelines for socialized housing.
The NHA only allows the use of new housing technologies that are duly accredited by the
Accreditation of Innovative Technologies for Housing (AITECH) on top of traditional materials and
systems. AITECH accredits innovative technologies for housing. AITECH committee members
come from representatives of various concerned institutions.
There are currently 48 accredited housing technologies but only a few of them are actually being
used by private contractors tapped by the NHA for socialized-housing projects.
These technologies, however, were developed for cost-efficiency and faster construction more
than environmental considerations.

Estero de San Miguel micro-Medium Rise Building - Legarda Street, Sampaloc, Manila
According to Regala, there are green technologies that are already being used by private realestate and property developers that are suitable for socialized housing. The technology
developers, however, appear to be uninterested in partnering with the government for greener
socialized-housing projects and are shying away from AITECH accreditation.
AITECH is open for accreditation and we encourage green-technology developers to apply for
accreditation, she said.
Use of materials that are abundant and locally availablesuch as wood, bamboo and even nipa or
cogon that are traditionally used in building nipa hutsor recycled plastics as construction
materials or for interior design of buildings is also prohibited, if not discouraged in highly urbanized
areas. They are considered fire hazards under the Fire Code of the Philippines, limiting designs for
the use of not so green construction materials.
Innovations/Technology Used
IN 2012 the National Housing Authority (NHA), International Labor Organization and the Philippine
Green Building Council came up with the Green Guide for Socialized Housing Projects to promote
green building. It was in response to challenges posed by intensifying typhoons, stronger
earthquakes, and unprecedented long wet or dry seasons that either triggers flood or drought.
Green housing has improved water and energy security, and, more important, reduced
environmental pressure through sustainable use of natural resources for construction during
design, construction and operation phases.
According to the document, green building has the potential to contribute to the greening of the
supply chain and stimulate the creation of green jobs in the socialized-housing sector. Green
building, as defined by experts, generally puts people and the environment ahead of all other
considerations. With climate change and the need to conserve energy and water in mind, plus
concerns on budget limitations, the NHA, the lead government agency in charge of socialized
housing, is starting to promote green building for socialized-housing projects, Arch. Benita Regala,
the head of the agencys Housing Technology Development Division, said. The guidelines, she
said, provide stakeholdersnational and local governments, private building contractors and
would-be beneficiariesan idea on how to go green through socialized housing.
The NHAs target market belongs to the 30 percent and below income bracket. The cost of
socialized housing is limited to a maximum of P450,000, as defined by the Housing and Urban
Development Coordinating (HUDCC).
Socialized-housing projects over the last two years are being designed for energy efficiency and
water conservationmaximizing what nature has to offer, such as natural light, cool breeze,
rainwater, use of housing technology and materials that are environment-friendly, whenever
possible, Regala said.
Despite the limitations, the NHA is promoting green building, Regala said. Some of the initiatives
start with site identification and development for socialized-housing projects that are outsourced or
contracted out to accredited construction companies. We are trying to influence our accredited
contractors to go green whenever possible, she said.

Estero de San Miguel micro-Medium Rise Building - Legarda Street, Sampaloc, Manila
She, however, noted that the contractors hands are tied to budget limitations. For land use or
distribution of saleable to nonsaleable portions, the NHA is increasing provision for common areas,
including parks, to promote a greener community even in urban areas.
Nonsaleable portions include common areas and parks. Regala said the proportion of saleable
against nonsaleable portions of a subdivision for government socialized housing is 70-percent
saleable and 30-percent nonsaleable as provided for under Batas Pambansa 220.
She said the proportion is now 66-percent saleable and 34-percent nonsaleable, giving more
space for common areas, such as childrens playground and parks, which means more space for
the trees, the birds and the bees. It is no coincidence that provision for bigger parks is now being
pushed by the Biodiversity Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural
Resources as part of its urban biodiversity-conservation plan. The NHA is also designing houses
with standard-size windows and is going beyond the minimum requirement which is 20 percent of
the total floor area.
According to Regala, housing projects lately are built with bigger windows and are higher than the
usual socialized-housing units for proper ventilation. Some units have loft for more spaceand to
allow would-be unit owners to put up a bedroom at the second levelfor extra space and again,
for proper ventilation.