Senator Lito Lapid has renewed his call for concrete and long-term solutions to the country’s housing problems, particularly in Metro Manila. 

His call follows his meeting with officials from the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) earlier this week.

Lapid, now chair of the Senate Committee on Housing in the 20th Congress, met with DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling to discuss the national government’s current housing strategies and legislative agenda.

With this, Lapid proposed the revival and strengthening of the “Balik Probinsya” Program, which encourages informal settler families (ISFs) in Metro Manila to return to their home provinces. 

The senator emphasized that he had been advocating for this initiative since 2004 as a sustainable solution to the worsening urban congestion and housing shortages in the capital.

He said the government must provide not only affordable housing but also livelihood opportunities to make relocation to the provinces viable and attractive.

During the meeting, Aliling shared updates on the agency’s national housing program, including plans to relocate ISFs from high-risk and danger zones, as well as efforts to speed up construction of affordable homes across the country.

A key focus of the discussion was the Expanded Pabahay Para sa Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4PH), the flagship housing project of President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. 

Under the program, the government aims to ease the housing burden on low-income families through subsidized interest rates via the Pag-IBIG Fund.

According to Aliling, of the estimated 3.4 million housing backlog, 4PH aims to deliver 1.2 million new units by the end of President Marcos’s term in 2028.

Senator Lapid said this initial meeting with Aliling and other DSHUD officials marks the government’s renewed push for inclusive, results-driven policies in the housing sector, as well as promising continued oversight and legislative support from his office.