(by: C M Vera)
Launched in September 2022 under the administration of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program has made substantial headway. Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), which oversees the implementation of this program, recently expressed confidence that 4PH will be able to significantly narrow down the big housing backlog in the country.
Housing and urban development czar Jose Rizalino Acuzar has fully embraced his role as the hand that orchestrates plans and actions towards the realization of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s vision in his administration’s “Bagong Pilipinas” banner, which goes beyond building houses, as steps are also taken towards creating vibrant, inclusive and sustainable communities where Filipinos from all walks of life can thrive. Local government units (LGUs) shall serve as project proponents—taking the lead in implementing housing projects in their respective turfs—in partnership with private sector developers and contractors.
The 4PH concept veers away from the traditional social housing concept of the national shelter system of previous administrations. Noting the enormity of the country’s housing backlog, which had significantly increased from the 1980 figure recorded during the dispensation of the late Pres. Ferdinand E. Marcos, Sr., the current administration, under Pres. Marcos, Jr., initially set an ambitious target production of 1 million housing units each year, or a total of 6 million units, from the start of his term in 2016 up to 2028. This was later reduced to a more realistic 3 million to 3.2 million units targeted for completion by the end of his term.
The rise of vertical housing in various areas in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao is now a concrete achievement of this administration’s flagship program under BBM’s Bagong Pilipinas banner.
According to National Home Mortgage & Finance Corporation (NHMFC) President & CEO Renato De Leon Tobias, the features of the program include the following: in-city resettlement, high-density/vertical housing emphasis in highly urbanized areas, utilization of idle government lands, and support of government financial institutions (GFIs) and private banks to provide development loans and end-user financing, among others.
President Marcos Jr. aims to build from 3 to 3.2 million housing units until the end of his term in 2028, adjusted from the original 6 million units targeted.
Secretary Acuzar stressed that the focus is on addressing not only the country’s housing backlog and the Filipinos’ state of homelessness but also on improving the quality of urban living. This administration’s program is intent on not just reducing the state of homelessness of Filipino families, but also on improving the people’s quality of life—making initiatives for marginalized families and the families of the working class to be able to experience comforts of living such as facilities and amenities otherwise available only to financially privileged families.
Projects Undertaken So Far… More Coming
In Bocaue, Bulacan alone, more than 50 percent (%) of the 11 condominium buildings undergoing construction have been completed. Upon completion, this project, dubbed as the Bulacan Manor Housing Project, is expected to house 4,000 families. Other projects are spread out across the country—from Ilocos Norte up north to Zamboanga City down south—and in between, in provinces such as Bataan, Pampanga, Nueva Ecija, Cavite, Batangas, Rizal, Albay, Palawan, Misamis Oriental, Camarines Sur, Negros Occidental, Cebu, Iloilo, Capiz, Bohol, and more. In various stages are projects in several areas of Pampanga: Crystal Peak States in Barangay Del Carmen; Barangay Mandasig, Candaba; and Barangay Sta. Maria, Minalin. Among the National Capital Region-based projects are those located in Caloocan City, Quezon City, and Manila.
By this time, DHSUD and the LGUs are engrossed in project planning, groundbreaking, land development, housing construction, turnover of completed units to beneficiaries, as well as further identification of blighted areas for development, purchase or pursuit of private property expropriation (for those occupied by informal settler families or ISFs), facilitation of in-city or onsite development of government-owned properties with ISFs, and identification of project beneficiaries.
Social Housing Concept
The 4PH Program adopted condo-style social housing. This concept maximizes the use of space to facilitate the response to the country’s housing backlog. More housing units are generated for every residential building constructed through this approach, thus, benefitting more families.
Under the 4PH Program, township developments are also embarked on. Among the amenities provided are commercial areas, schools, hospitals and recreational facilities, the presence of which are a boon to elevating the quality of life and safety considerations of families housed in 4PH projects.
