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.