A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science

Thesis (M.Sc.) - Asian Institute of Technology, 1983

This study is an attempt to make an interim evaluation of the Urban BLISS (Bagong Lipunan "New Society" Improvement of Sites and Services) Program, the government's major response to the enormous housing problem that has continually confronted Metropolitan Manila. Adopted as a key strategy for urban development, the promise that the Program offers to provide a housing scheme which will respond to the ever-increasing demand for housing has been regarded with high expectations. How far the Program has so far succeeded in solving the housing and service problems of the metropolis is one issue that this research seeks to tackle. Specifically, the study seeks to determine the relative position of the Urban BLISS Program vis-a vis some other housing programs which are also currently being implemented. For an in-depth analysis of the program, a case study of one of the more recent BLISS Projects was undertaken. The objective is to evaluate how access to BLISS housing is being sought and to search for possible open or hidden subsidies that might have been provided. The findings of this research indicate the "demonstration" character of the Program and its heavy Upper-income bias. A major criticism concerns the substantial amount of subsidy that it allocates to the relatively better off urban families, some of whom can even afford housing in the open market. Indeed it gives a clear example of a broad-based housing program which houses and subsidizes the urban rich.