Building PBBM’s housing legacy through Expanded 4PH
The commitment to making safe, decent, and affordable housing more accessible to Filipinos continues to gain momentum through President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) recording significant gains across multiple housing modalities just over a year since the program’s recalibration.
More than a housing initiative, the Expanded 4PH Program embodies President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s commitment to ensure that every Filipino family has access to safe, decent, and affordable housing.
By expanding the government’s housing interventions and making them more responsive to the needs of communities, the administration continues to create opportunities for more Filipinos to build better lives through homeownership, secure tenure, rental housing, and other shelter solutions.
From strengthening community-led housing initiatives and expanding rental housing options to accelerating disaster shelter interventions and advancing land tenure security, the Expanded 4PH Program has evolved into a comprehensive housing platform designed to adapt to the varying needs of Filipino families.
Housing reforms
A year since his assumption as housing chief, the reforms introduced by Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling have widened the reach of the administration’s flagship housing program, which now benefits not only aspiring homeowners but also informal settler families, low-income earners, overseas Filipino workers, disaster-displaced communities, and other vulnerable sectors.
“President Marcos Jr. has consistently emphasized that every Filipino family deserves the opportunity to live in a safe, decent, and secure home. Through the Expanded 4PH Program, we are translating that vision into concrete housing solutions that respond to the diverse needs and realities of communities across the country,” Secretary Aliling said.
Today, the impacts of these reforms are becoming increasingly visible across the country as more Filipinos gain access to housing opportunities that were previously beyond their reach.
Expanding the modalities
In May 2025, DHSUD recalibrated the original 4PH Program, expanding it from the original vertical or condominium-type housing initiative into a multimodal, people-centered, and financing-enhanced housing platform.
The move is in response to the President’s directive to cater to the varying housing challenges across communities and sectors which call for solutions that are equally diverse and responsive.
The recalibration marked a significant step in broadening the government’s housing strategy by recognizing that different sectors require different housing solutions. Through the Expanded 4PH Program, the administration is able to provide a wider range of interventions that better match the needs, capacities, and circumstances of Filipino families.
Under the Expanded 4PH Program, government housing interventions now encompass condominium-type developments, horizontal housing projects, rental housing, the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP), incremental housing, Presidential Proclamations, Pag-IBIG Fund subsidized loan programs, and high-density housing developments for highly urbanized areas.
This allows the government to provide housing solutions that correspond to the actual circumstances and capacities of Filipino families, while ensuring that more sectors can participate in and benefit from national housing programs.
More than constructing housing units, the goal is to enable more families to secure safe, decent, and affordable shelters.
Reviving community-led housing through ECMP
Among the modalities added under the Expanded 4PH Program is the revival of the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP) through the Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC).
For decades, CMP has served as one of the government’s keys to helping organized communities acquire land and secure legal tenure. Under the Expanded 4PH Program, renewed attention and support have resulted in the approval of 45 ECMP projects benefiting more than 27,000 individuals nationwide.
Cash assistance has already been released to 16 organized communities, for the acquisition and development of community-owned properties.
Beyond numbers, ECMP addresses one of the most pressing concerns among informal settler families: uncertainty over land tenure.
For many beneficiary communities, the opportunity to acquire the land they occupy represents the realization of aspirations that have remained out of reach for decades.
The Expanded 4PH Program has likewise accelerated efforts to address long-standing tenure issues through the disposition of lands covered by Presidential Proclamations.
Families who have occupied government lands for years now have clearer pathways toward ownership.
Communities in Lucena City, Tala, Palawan, and other areas have already begun benefiting from these initiatives, providing thousands of families with the security and peace of mind that come with legal tenure.
Expanding access through rental housing
Recognizing that homeownership may not immediately be feasible for every Filipino family, DHSUD introduced rental housing as a key modality under the Expanded 4PH Program.
The initiative seeks to provide safe and affordable housing options for informal settler families, low-income earners, workers, students, and other sectors that may require housing support before eventually transitioning to homeownership.
Pilot rental housing developments are currently underway in University of the Philippines Diliman, University of the Philippines Los Baños, Iloilo City, Quezon City, and Victorias City.
These projects represent an important shift in housing policy by acknowledging that affordable shelter can be delivered through multiple pathways, not solely through direct ownership programs.
As of today, 3,590 rental housing units are under construction nationwide.
The expansion of rental housing options is expected to provide greater flexibility for beneficiaries while helping address housing needs in highly urbanized areas where land availability and affordability remain significant challenges.
Shelters in times of crisis
Apart from addressing long-term housing needs, DHSUD has also strengthened its disaster response initiatives through the establishment of Bayanihan Villages under the Expanded 4PH Program.
The initiative utilizes modular shelter units (MSUs) to provide temporary yet dignified accommodation for families displaced by natural disasters and other emergencies.
The first Bayanihan Villages were established in Cebu and Davao Oriental following major earthquake incidents and typhoons, providing immediate shelter assistance to affected families while permanent housing solutions were being prepared.
The deployment of MSUs was later expanded to other areas through requests from local government units.
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