Expanded 4PH widens housing options for workers, ISFs — DHSUD

The expanded housing program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. now covers a broader range of beneficiaries—from the working class to informal sector workers and informal settler families (ISFs)—with multiple housing options based on need, capacity and preference, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) said.

DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said the expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program is being rolled out nationwide, with continuous turnover of housing units and awarding of assistance to beneficiaries.

“Patuloy po ang pagpapalawak at pag-improve natin sa Expanded 4PH bilang tugon sa utos ng ating Pangulong Marcos Jr. Patunay dito ang tuluy-tuloy na pagte-trun over ng mga housing units, at pag-a-award ng mga certificates sa ating mga beneficiaries,” Aliling said.

“Sa mas pinalawak na Expanded 4PH, hagip na po natin lahat ng mga dapat makinabang sa programang pabahay ng gobyerno—mula sa mga working class, informal sectors hanggang sa mga ISFs (informal settler families) lalo na sa ating mga waterways,” he added.

For informal settler families, Aliling said the DHSUD has directed the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) to intensify the implementation of the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP), which offers people-centered housing solutions, including incremental or phase-by-phase shelter improvements based on beneficiaries’ capacity.

Rental housing options are also available under the expanded 4PH for families who are not yet able to afford home ownership, he said.

Aliling added that the DHSUD has revived the distribution of certificates of entitlement (COEs) to beneficiaries under various Presidential Proclamations, benefitting thousands of ISFs.

For the working class, the program offers both rental housing and homeownership options. The Pag-IBIG Fund is providing socialized housing loans with interest rates as low as 3 percent for up to 10 years for eligible members, covering both horizontal and vertical housing projects under the expanded 4PH.

In recent months, the DHSUD and its attached agencies have continuously awarded COEs to ECMP and Presidential Proclamation beneficiaries, and facilitated the takeout of socialized housing units through Pag-IBIG Fund financing.

Just last Sunday, the first house-and-lot packages were turned over to 4PH beneficiaries in a Pag-IBIG-supported socialized subdivision project in Mamburao, Occidental Mindoro.

Meanwhile, the SHFC has approved at least 36 ECMP sites since the program’s revival last year, benefiting around 15,000 individuals.

“Ang utos ng Pangulong Marcos Jr. ay ipaabot ang programang pabahay ng gobyerno sa mga higit na nangangailangan, kaya yan mismo ang ginagawa ng DHSUD at ng aming mga attached agencies—ang patuloy na pag-calibrate at pag-improve sa Expanded 4PH upang mas maraming pamilyang Pilipino ang matulungang magkaroon ng mas maunlad at mas may dignidad na pamumuhay,” Aliling said.