A new rental housing project under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program has been launched at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), marking the first such development on campus in 45 years.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), led by Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling, formally unveiled the Expanded 4PH-UPLB rental housing project on Thursday, together with UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr.

University officials noted that the last housing initiative on campus dates back to the 1980s and was primarily intended for faculty members.

Camacho highlighted how quickly the new project moved from planning to implementation, noting that it was launched just two months after UPLB and DHSUD began formal collaboration under the Expanded 4PH framework.

The project is the fifth rental housing initiative under the government’s flagship housing program. It will initially consist of two five-storey buildings to be constructed in Paciano Rizal, Bay, Laguna. The site is along a main road directly across the UP Rural High School campus, offering convenient access for residents.

Around 800 individuals are expected to benefit from the development. These include low-income UPLB employees as well as informal settler families residing in Los Baños.

Secretary Aliling, joined by Senior Undersecretary Eduardo Robles Jr. and other DHSUD officials during the launch, described the project as further evidence of the continued rollout of Expanded 4PH nationwide.

He also assured UPLB officials of the department’s full support for future housing initiatives that would serve members of the university community and informal settler families in the municipality.

The Expanded 4PH program aims to address the country’s housing backlog by partnering with local governments, state universities and colleges, and other stakeholders to accelerate the construction of affordable homes for low-income Filipinos.