National Housing Authority Projects in the Philippines: A Structured Narrative Literature Review and Policy Implications
##plugins.themes.EpsilonTheme.article.main##
Emil Arca*
The National Housing Authority (NHA) plays a pivotal role in delivering public housing programs in the Philippines; however, existing evidence on program implementation remains fragmented across diverse geographical settings, policy contexts, and methodological approaches, limiting an integrated understanding of the factors shaping housing outcomes. This study synthesizes the literature on NHA housing projects to examine recurring implementation patterns and develop evidence-informed policy implications for strengthening public housing governance. A structured narrative literature review, guided by the PRISMA 2020 reporting framework, was undertaken to identify, screen, and synthesize 22 relevant studies published between 2016 and 2026. The included literature was analyzed using thematic synthesis to integrate evidence across heterogeneous research designs. The thematic synthesis generated seven interrelated analytical themes: the evolution of NHA programs, housing quality and physical infrastructure, beneficiary satisfaction and residential well-being, livelihood and economic opportunities, accessibility to essential services, governance and community participation, and implementation challenges. Governance functions as the integrating mechanism linking housing quality, service accessibility, livelihood opportunities, and community participation, while challenges arise from systemic institutional and socioeconomic constraints rather than isolated operational deficiencies. These findings suggest that the effectiveness of NHA housing programs depends on integrated policy implementation that aligns physical infrastructure with governance capacity, socioeconomic development, and long-term community sustainability. By consolidating fragmented evidence into a coherent framework, this review provides a stronger conceptual foundation for evidence-informed housing policy, public housing governance, and future research on NHA programs in the Philippines.
Abante, A. M. R. (2021). Geophilosophical realness of risk: a case study in national housing authority resettlement sites in Albay, Philippines. SN Applied Sciences, 3(4). https://doi.org/10.1007/s42452-021-04442-6
Ansell, C., & Gash, A. (2008). Collaborative governance in theory and practice. Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory, 18(4), 543–571. https://doi.org/10.1093/jopart/mum032
Arcilla, C. A. C. (2018). Producing Empty Socialized Housing: Privatizing Gains, Socializing Costs, and Dispossessing the Filipino Poor. Social Transformations Journal of the Global South, 6(1). https://doi.org/10.13185/2799-015x.1090
Arcilla, C. A. C. (2023). Ensuring the Affordability of Socialized Housing: Toward Livable and Sustainable Homes for the Filipino Poor. In A Better Metro Manila? (pp. 259–289). Springer Nature Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-19-7804-3_8
Austria, K. M., Somintac, M. G., Bainco, M., Vargas, Z. M., Cruz, A. L., & Malicdem, M. R. (2017). Provision of Basic Services to the Relocated Families in Lingayen, Pangasinan, Philippines. Southeast Asian Journal of Science and Technology, 2(1), 103–107. https://sajournal.pti.edu.ph/index.php/sajst/article/view/30
Ballano, V. O. (2017). Suitability and Accessibility of the Relocation Site. In Law, Normative Pluralism, and Post-Disaster Recovery (pp. 111–142). Springer Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-5074-9_5
Ballesteros, M., & Ancheta, J. (2018). Participatory Governance in the Public Provision of Housing: The Case of Local Housing Boards in the Philippines. Philippine Institute for Development Studies. https://doi.org/10.62986/dp2018.29
Carrasco, S., Ochiai, C., & Okazaki, K. (2016). Disaster Induced Resettlement: Multi-stakeholder Interactions and Decision Making Following Tropical Storm Washi in Cagayan de Oro, Philippines. Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences, 218, 35–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2016.04.008
Collado, Z. C., & Orozco, N. M. G. (2020). From displacement to resettlement: how current policies shape eviction narratives among urban poor in the Philippines. Housing, Care and Support, 23(2), 49–63. https://doi.org/10.1108/hcs-01-2019-0001
Cuaton, G. P., See, J., & Webster, S. (2026). Climate-related Planned Relocation as Domicide: The Multi-dimensional Destruction of Home in the Philippines. Habitat International, 169, 103710. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.habitatint.2026.103710
Dacalos, A. (2025). Social capital as a driver of local housing reform in Cagayan de Oro City, Philippines. Policy Studies, 1–29. https://doi.org/10.1080/01442872.2025.2528790
Iuchi, K., & Mutter, J. (2020). Governing community relocation after major disasters: An analysis of three different approaches and its outcomes in Asia. Progress in Disaster Science, 6, 100071. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2020.100071
Lauer, H., Scholz, W., Islam, S., Kaiser, M., & Eugenio, V. F. (2026). From danger to death zones: Living with the floods in the resettlement site of Kasiglahan Village in the Philippines. Progress in Disaster Science, 30, 100552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pdisas.2026.100552
Magno-Ballesteros, M., Ramos, T. P., & Ancheta, J. A. (2022). Measuring Housing Affordability in the Philippines. PIDS Discussion Paper Series. https://pidswebs.pids.gov.ph/CDN/document/pidsdps2222.pdf
Maly, E. (2017). Rethinking “Build Back Better” in housing reconstruction: A proposal for “People Centered Housing Recovery.” IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 56, 12025. https://doi.org/10.1088/1755-1315/56/1/012025
Michael, M. J., Ong, M. A., Vigonte, F., Abante, M. V, & Estioco, M. C. (2024). Pricing Strategy of National Housing Authority (Nha) on Government Employee Housing Projects (Gehp). SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4842285
Ong, J. M., Jamero, M. L., Esteban, M., Honda, R., & Onuki, M. (2016). Challenges in Build-Back-Better Housing Reconstruction Programs for Coastal Disaster Management: Case of Tacloban City, Philippines. Coastal Engineering Journal, 58(1), 1640010–1640032. https://doi.org/10.1142/s0578563416400106
Pimentel, M. S. (2023). Yolanda Permanent Housing Projects Turnover Engagements towards Safe and Sustainable Shelter Foresight. British Journal of Arts and Humanities, 5(2), 90–98. https://doi.org/10.34104/bjah.023090098
Pormon, M. M. M., Yee, D. K. P., & Gerona, C. K. O. (2023). Households condition and satisfaction towards post-disaster resettlement: The case of typhoon Haiyan resettlement areas in Tacloban City. International Journal of Disaster Risk Reduction, 91, 103681. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdrr.2023.103681
Reginio, F., & Agcaoili, A. (2024). Challenges, Capabilities, and Proposed Initiatives for Capacity-building among Shelter Beneficiaries in Davao City, Philippines: A Case Study. Southeastern Philippines Journal of Research and Development, 29(2), 63–87. https://doi.org/10.53899/spjrd.v29i2.264
Salzer, C., Wallbaum, H., Lopez, L., & Kouyoumji, J. (2016). Sustainability of Social Housing in Asia: A Holistic Multi-Perspective Development Process for Bamboo-Based Construction in the Philippines. Sustainability, 8(2), 151. https://doi.org/10.3390/su8020151
Schofield, H., Lovell, E., Flinn, B., & Twigg, J. (2019). Barriers to urban shelter self-recovery in Philippines and Nepal: lessons for humanitarian policy and practice. Journal of the British Academy, 7 (s2). https://doi.org/10.5871/jba/007s2.083
Yee, D. K. P. (2020). Exploring initiatives for a human rights-centered approach in post-disaster housing reconstruction in Tacloban city, Philippines. In Advancing Rule of Law in a Global Context (pp. 98–103). CRC Press. https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429449031-14
