Filipino homebuyers now have more housing options under the recalibrated Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program, following President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to expand the reach and responsiveness of the government’s flagship housing initiative.
Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said Filipinos are no longer considered as “captive market” with limited options as the Expanded 4PH now includes horizontal or subdivision-type projects, rental and incremental housing, and a revitalized Community Mortgage Program (CMP), giving beneficiaries more choices based on their needs and capacity.
A captive market is defined as a market with only a few sellers, hence, limited choices for consumers/homebuyers, and creating a monopoly-like situation.
“With these, we now have more options to offer to our beneficiaries depending on the need and their capacity. Instead of the previous limited choices that render home buyers as captive market, we have transformed Expanded 4PH into a beneficiary-focused program,” Aliling said in a DHSUD news release Sunday.
Previously centered on vertical housing, the 4PH was recalibrated to align with the preference of most homebuyers for more affordable subdivision-style units.
Key shelter agencies were assigned specific roles—Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) to lead CMP enhancement, National Housing Authority (NHA) for rental housing, Pag-IBIG Fund for low-interest financing, and National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC) for developing a housing secondary market.
The move has drawn strong support from the private sector.
In a July 7 letter, four major developers’ groups –Chamber of Real Estate and Builders’ Associations Inc. (CREBA), National Real Estate Association, Inc. (NREA), Organization of Socialized and Economic Housing Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP), and Subdivision and Housing Developers Association (SHDA)-- committed to building over 250,000 socialized housing units under the expanded program over the next three years.
DHSUD is also streamlining housing processes under Aliling’s 8-Point Agenda. Technical Working Groups are reviewing internal procedures, with full digitalization and housing one-stop centers underway.
Policies to fast-track application processing and eliminate backlogs have been issued.
“President Marcos Jr.’s directive is clear—speed up government service and bring Expanded 4PH to hardworking and underprivileged Filipinos so they can have homes of their own,” Aliling said.
