HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD (BOARD RESOLUTION NO. 877)

Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9904 – The Magna Carta For Homeowners and Homeowners’ Associations

After the full text of Republic Act No. 9904, otherwise known as The Magna Carta For Homeowners and Homeowners Associations, here is the Implementing Rules and Regulations or IRR. The RA 9904 IRR took a long time to get approved, almost a year and a half after RA 9904 was signed into law.

Republic of the Philippines

Office of the President

Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council

HOUSING AND LAND USE REGULATORY BOARD

BOARD RESOLUTION NO. 877

Series of 2011

IMPLEMENTING RULES AND REGULATIONS OF REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9904, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE MAGNA CARTA FOR HOMEOWNERS AND HOMEOWNERS ASSOCIATIONS.

Pursuant to Section 28 of Republic Act No. 9904, otherwise known as the Magna Carta for Homeowners and Homeowners Associations, the following Rules and Regulations are hereby promulgated by the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB).

RULE 1

PRELIMINARY PROVISIONS

Section 1. Title. – This Rules shall be known as the Implementing Rules and Regulations of RA 9904 (IRR – RA 9904).

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. – Mindful of the Constitutional principles directing the State to encourage, promote, and respect nongovernmental, community based, and the people’s right to form organizations and initiate associations in serving their legitimate collective interests in our participatory democracy, it is the policy of the State:

a. To uphold the rights of the people to form associations;

b. To recognize and promote the rights and the roles of homeowners as individuals and as members of the society and of homeowners, associations;

c. To make available resources and assistance that will help them fulfil their roles in serving the needs and interests of their communities; and,

d. To complement the efforts of Local Government Units (LGUs) in providing vital and basic services to their citizens, and in helping implement local and national government policies, programs, rules and ordinances for the development of the nation.

Section 3. Construction. – This Rules shall be construed and interpreted liberally in order to carry out the objectives and principles of Republic Act No. 9904.

Section 4. Definition of Terms. – As used in these Implementing Rules and Regulations, the following terms shall mean:

a. Act refers to Republic Act No. 9904, An Act providing for a Magna Carta for Homeowners and Homeowners Associations, and for other purposes

b. Accounting period refers to the fiscal or calendar year adopted by a homeowners association in the recording and reporting of its fiscal transactions.

c. Adjudicatory mechanism refers to the procedure in settling disputes involving the registration of two or more associations established within the same subdivision/village, community area, or housing project.

d. Approved subdivision plan refers to a plan drawn to scale showing the divisions of a piece of land intended for subdivision development delineating its open space and individual lots, bearing the signature of a licensed professional, and the stamp of approval of the NHA, HLURB, LGU or any appropriate government agency.

e. Association refers to the homeowners association which is a non-stock, nonprofit association registered with the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), or one previously registered with the Home Insurance Guarantee Corporation (now Home Guaranty Corporation) or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), organized by –

[1]   Owners or purchasers of a lot in a subdivision/village or other residential real property located within the jurisdiction of the association;

[2]   Awardees, usufructuaries, legal occupants and/or lessees of a housing unit and/or lot in a government socialized or economic housing or relocation project and other urban estates;

[3]   Underprivileged and homeless citizens as defined under existing laws in the process of being accredited as usufructuaries or awardees of ownership rights under the Community Mortgage Program (CMP), Land Tenure Assistance Program (LTAP) and other similar programs in relation to a socialized housing project actually being implemented by the national government or the LGU.

MAGNA CARTA FOR HOMEOWNERS AND HOMEOWNERS’ ASSOCIATIONS

Republic of the Philippines
CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES
Metro Manila

Fourteenth Congress
Third Regular Session

Begun and held in Metro Manila, on Monday, the twenty-seventh day of July, two thousand nine.

Republic Act No. 9904

AN ACT PROVIDING FOR A MAGNA CARTA FOR HOMEOWNERS AND HOMEOWNERS’ ASSOCIATIONS, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

CHAPTER I
TITLE AND DECLARATION OF POLICY

Section 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as the "Magna Carta for Homeowners and Homeowners’ Associations".

Section 2. Declaration of Policy. - In fulfillment of the constitutional principles directing the State to encourage, promote and respect nongovernmental, community - based and people’s organizations in serving their legitimate collective interests in our participatory democracy, it is hereby declared the policy of the State to uphold the rights of the people to form unions, associations, or societies, and to recognize and promote the rights and the roles of homeowners as individuals and as members of the society and of homeowners' associations. To this end, the State shall endeavor to make available resources and assistance that will help them fulfill their roles In serving the needs and interests of their communities, in complementing the efforts of local government units (LGUs) in providing vital and basic services to our citizens, and in helping implement local and national government policies, programs, rules and ordinances for the development of the nation.

Section 3. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act, the following terms shall mean:

(a) "Accounting period" refers to the fiscal or calendar year adopted by a homeowners’ association in the recording and reporting of its fiscal transactions.

(b) "Association" refers to the homeowners’ association which is a nonstick, nonprofit corporation registered with the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), or one previously registered with the Home Insurance Guarantee Corporation (now Home Guaranty Corporation) or the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), organized by owners or purchasers of a lot in a subdivision/village or other residential real property located within the jurisdiction of the association; or awardees, usufructuaries, legal occupants and/or lessees of a housing unit and/or lot in a government socialized or economic housing or relocation project and other urban estates; or underprivileged and homeless citizens as defined under existing laws in the process of being accredited as usufructuaries or awardees of ownership rights under the Community Mortgage Program (CMP), Land Tenure Assistance Program (LTAP) and other similar programs in relation to a socialized housing project actually being Implemented by the national government or the LGU.

(c) "Association member" refers to a homeowner who is a member of the association where his/her housing unit or lot is situated and those defined in the articles of incorporation and bylaws of the association.

(d) "Basic community services and facilities" refer to services and facilities that redound to the benefit of all homeowners and from which, by reason of practicality, no homeowner may be excluded such as, but not limited to: security; street and vicinity lights; maintenance, repairs and cleaning of streets; garbage collection and disposal; and other similar services and facilities.

(e) "Board" refers to the board of directors or trustees of the association which has primary authority to manage the affairs of the association.

(f) "Common areas" refer to property owned or otherwise maintained, repaired or administered in whole or in part by the association including, but not limited to, roads, parks, playgrounds and open spaces as provided in Presidential Decree No. 1216.

(g) "Common expense" refers to costs incurred by the association to exercise any of the powers provided for in this Act.

(h) "Economic housing" refers to a type of housing project with lower interest rates and longer amortization periods provided to moderately low - income families, as defined under existing laws, rules and regulations.

(i) "Governing document" refers to the articles of incorporation, bylaws, conditions, rules and regulations of the association, or other written instrument by which the association has the authority to exercise any of the powers provided for in this Act.

(j) "Homeowner" refers to any of the following;

(1) An owner or purchaser of a lot in a subdivision/village;

(2) An awardee, usufructuary, or legal occupant of a unit, house and/or lot in a government socialized or economic housing or relocation project and other urban estates; or

(3) An informal settler in the process of being accredited as beneficiary or awardee of ownership rights under the CMP, LTAP, and other similar programs.

(k) "Residential real property" refers to any real property, the use of which is limited by law to primarily residential purposes.

(l) "Simple majority" refers to fifty percent (50%) plus one (1) of the total number of association members.

(m) "Socialized housing" refers to housing programs and projects covering houses and lots or home lots only undertaken by the government or the private sector for the underprivileged and homeless citizens which shall include sites and services development, long - term financing, liberalized terms on interest payments, and other benefits in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act No. 7279, otherwise known as the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992 (UDHA).

(n) "Subdivision/Village" refers to a tract or parcel of land partitioned into individual lots, with or without improvements thereon, primarily for residential purposes.

Ano ang iyong mga karapatan sa ilalim ng Saligang Batas?

Nakapaloob sa bill of rights ng Saligang Batas ang mga karapatan ng bawat Pilipino.

Nakasaad dito na hindi maaaring kitilin ang buhay, kalayaan, o ari-arian ng sinuman nang hindi nabibigyan ng 'due process'.

Ibig sabihin, dapat dumaan sa tamang proseso ang sinumang nanganganib matanggalan ng mga proteksiyong ito. Kasama diyan ang mabigyan siya ng pagkakataong idepensa ang kaniyang sarili.

May karapatan din ang bawat mamamayan laban sa anumang search o pangangapkap at paghahaluglog nang walang search warrant.

Kapag kusang pinagbuksan ng pinto at pinapasok ang law enforcers gaya ng pulis at National Bureau of Investigation agents at pinahintulutang maghalughog, wala itong paglabag.

Pero ibang usapan na umano kapag nagpumilit pa ring pumasok ang mga opisyal kahit walang pahintulot na binigay ang may-ari ng bahay.

Ang the best para sa mga police to get a search warrant kung kailangang pumasok. Kailangang maging magalang [ang mga pulis] sa paghingi ng pahintulot sa mga maybahay. Kung ayaw papasukin, politely decline.

Know your rights. Talagang walang karapatan ang sinumang pumasok sa bahay mo nang walang pahintulot kahit nakabukas ang pinto mo.

Sa pag-a-apply naman ng arrest warrant, dapat itong katigan ng Korte kapag may basehan lamang.

Pinapahintulutan ang warrantless arrest kung ang aarestuhin ay kagagawa lang ng krimen, kasalukuyang gumagawa ng krimen, nagtatangkang gumawa ng krimen o isang pugante.

Maaari ding isagawa ang warrantless arrest kapag suspendido ang pribilehiyo ng writ of habeas corpus. Pero para lang ito sa mga pinagdududahang sangkot sa rebelyon. Kailangang masampahan na ng kaso ang naaresto tatlong araw matapos itong mahuli.

Pinoprotektahan din ng Saligang Batas ang 'privacy of communication and correspondence'. Maaari lang itong panghimasukan kapag may utos ng Korte o sa mga pagkakataong nanganganib ang kaligtasan ng publiko.

May karapatan din ang bawat isa na ihayag ang sarili maliban na lang kung ito ay paninirang puri na.

Binibigyan din ng kalayaang mamahayag ang media, pati na ang mga mamamayan na magsagawa ng mapayapang pagtitipon para ihayag ang mga daing sa pamahalaan.

May karapatan ding manahimik at hindi maaaring puwersahing magsalita o umamin sa krimen ang sinumang iniimbestigahan dahil sa posibleng paglabag sa batas. May karapatan din ang inaakusahan na katawanin ng abogado.

Labag sa batas ang paggamit ng torture, puwersa, dahas, at anumang uri ng pananakot sa sinumang nakadetene.

Bawal din ang mga sikretong kulungan at detention facilities, pati na ang pagtago sa taong nakadetene.

Dapat ding ituring na inosente ang sinumang nasampahan ng kaso sa Korte maliban na lang kung nahatulan na itong may sala.

Karapatan din ng bawat mamamayan na sumailalim sa patas at mabilis na paglilitis kung saan may sapat siyang pagkakataon na ipagtanggol ang sarili.

Ang sinumang awtoridad na lalabag sa mga karapatang ito ay mahaharap sa mga kasong kriminal at administratibo.

Ang sinumang mamamayan na pinagtatangkaang gawan ng mga nasabing paglabag sa batas ay maaaring maghayag ng pagtutol at agad tumawag ng abogado.

Payo ng legal experts, dapat alam ng mga sibilyan at awtoridad ang mga karapatang ito para na rin sa proteksyon at kapakanan ng bawat panig.

THE SEVEN SOCIAL SINS