Just days after Jose Ramon P. Aliling assumed leadership of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), more than 50,000 housing units were committed to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s recalibrated Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.

Aliling, a respected civil engineer in the construction industry, has opened the door for horizontal developments — subdivision-style housing projects — to be included under the 4PH flagship initiative. This shift quickly drew support from private developers.

As of 31 May, three major players — Raemulan Lands Inc. (RLI), 8990/Deca Homes, and Fiesta Communities Inc. — have pledged a combined total of 51,541 units for construction over the next three years.

In a letter signed by CEO Eileen Uy Doyle, RLI committed 35,656 units to be built across Pampanga, Cavite, Bulacan, and Laguna. Fiesta CEO Christopher Ryan Tan pledged 6,387 units, while 8990/Deca Homes President and CEO Vincent Sotto offered 9,498 houses.

“This is a great start for our recalibrated 4PH, a strong indication that we are on the right track in expanding President Marcos’ flagship housing program to include horizontal developments. This will surely boost private sector’s confidence to the program,” said Aliling. “We will continue to explore all feasible modalities under recalibrated 4PH, not only to prop up the numbers but more importantly as our way of listening to clamor from stakeholders."

Aliling emphasized that DHSUD will continue exploring feasible approaches under the revised framework, which aims to address the growing housing demand while responding to feedback from stakeholders.

He also reiterated his commitment to clean governance, stating that his administration will uphold “zero tolerance to corruption” as they implement improvements to the national housing strategy.

Guidelines for the inclusion of horizontal housing projects in the 4PH program are currently being developed by DHSUD.