The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) on Monday assured that all housing units under President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr.'s Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program promote climate resiliency.

This comes after the Chief Executive urged DHSUD to explore climate-resilient housing designs to mitigate the effects of natural disasters and ensure the safety of public housing beneficiaries.

"Lahat po ng 4PH projects are mataas ang kalidad, dahil bukod sa compliant ang mga ito sa ating Building Code ay nakatutok ang gobyerno, kasama ang ating mga local government units, sa pagtatayo ng mga housing projects," DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar stressed.

"Sinisiguro din po ng DHSUD na ang ating mga 4PH projects ay wala sa mga hazardous or disaster-prone areas at naka-align sa mga approved Comprehensive Land Use Plans at Local Shelter Plans ng ating mga LGUs," he added.

The DHSUD is also leading the "Plan and Do" or Planado Program, which aims to integrate climate change considerations into urban planning. The program seeks to develop resilient communities through better land use planning and coordination with local stakeholders, focusing on making cities more prepared for climate impacts like flooding and extreme weather.

Currently, at least 56 projects under 4PH are in various stages of development, with some buildings already completed.

Last month, the first 4PH units at the Palayan City Township Development in Nueva Ecija were handed over to overseas Filipino worker-beneficiaries by President Marcos and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos in Malacañang.

In Bacolod City, the local government last week began turning over housing units at the Asenso Yuhum Residences, part of the 4PH program.

Acuzar said that the government is seeing the initial results of the housing program, two years after it was introduced to address the country’s housing shortage.

"These ongoing turnovers of units and simultaneous development and construction of housing projects are solid proof of the concept that 4PH is on the right track," he said, noting that this is a testament to their ability to tap private funds for public housing.