SENATOR Joel Villanueva has filed a measure seeking to establish a sustainable housing program for tenured personnel of state universities and colleges (SUCs), providing both on-campus and off-campus housing assistance.

Under Senate Bill No. 2149, or the proposed Pabahay Para sa mga Kawani ng SUC Act, Villanueva said SUCs serve as vital institutions in advancing quality education, research, innovation, and public service throughout the country.

Behind these institutions, he said, are teaching and non-teaching personnel who devote decades of their lives to shaping future generations and contributing to national development.

However, the senator noted that many SUC personnel continue to face housing insecurity, particularly upon retirement from government service.

While some SUCs currently provide on-campus housing, Villanueva said such privileges are generally co-terminous with active employment, requiring retirees to vacate their housing units shortly after leaving government service.

He added that this situation places many long-serving personnel, especially senior citizens and low-income employees, in difficult and uncertain living conditions during their retirement years.

The proposed measure seeks to establish a comprehensive and sustainable housing program for qualified tenured SUC personnel through a combination of affordable on-campus housing, transitional post-retirement occupancy arrangements, off-campus housing assistance, and access to affordable financing and government housing programs.

The bill also mandates all SUCs to formulate a Housing Development Program tailored to their financial, land, and institutional capacities. It likewise encourages partnerships with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development, the Pag-IBIG Fund, the Government Service Insurance System, the Land Bank of the Philippines, and other government financial institutions.

Through the measure, Villanueva said the State reaffirms its commitment to the welfare, dignity, and security of educators and public servants who have dedicated their lives to the pursuit of education and nation-building.