By the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD)
Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have expressed deep gratitude to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, which enabled them to finally secure homes they can call their own after years of working abroad.
Mrs. Rosemarie Libanan, an OFW for 18 years and currently in Saudi Arabia, is now excited to return to the country to see her dream home at the Crystal Peak Estates, one of the Expanded 4PH projects in her hometown in Pampanga. It will be the first home their family will own.
“Wala pa kaming sariling bahay dati… ito ang pinakaunang-una… matagal na kaming naghahanap kaso parang di ko pa kaya noon kasi ang bigat sa buwanan…” Mrs Libanan shared during an online interview by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).
She said that upon learning about the Expanded 4PH development in her hometown, she applied through Pag-IBIG Fund, which was subsequently approved. Her brother in Pampanga assisted her and regularly checked on the unit.
“Sana pag-uwi namin this year, mapuntahan na namin siya. Maganda raw yung puwesto, malapit sa lahat. Excited ako kasi kahit wala ako dun lagi, yung pamilya ko… pwede silang mamasyal dun….” she added.
In Nueva Ecija, Sharon Joy Capyo, wife of an OFW in Japan, also shared their family’s joy after receiving their housing unit at the Palayan City Township Project, another vertical development under the Expanded 4PH Program.
“Masaya po kami na nagkaroon na kami ng sariling bahay… nakikitira lang po kami dati sa pamilya namin…” Capyo said.
“Kay President BBM, maraming maraming salamat po… nabigyan po kami ng pagkakataon na magkaroon ng sariling bahay na kayang-kaya namin bayaran,” she added.
OFWs were among the first beneficiaries of the Palayan City Township Project, where turn over of units are continuing. Among them were Mr. Jeremy Leyno, a painter working in Japan, and Ms Madelaine Ann Mallare, a nurse from Saudi Arabia, both also thanked the President for the program.
Homeownership within reach of the citizenry
The DHSUD, through the Pag-IBIG Fund, has exempted OFWs from the monthly salary cap and included among the priority beneficiaries, granting them access to affordable housing through a subsidized 3% interest rate.
“Malinaw ang direktiba ni Pangulong Marcos Jr.—gawing mas abot-kaya, mas mabilis, at mas accessible ang pabahay para sa bawat Pilipino, kabilang dito ang ating mga bagong bayani na OFWs,” DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said.
“Sa pamamagitan ng Expanded 4PH, binibigyan natin sila ng pagkakataon na maranasan ang bunga ng kanilang sakripisyo—isang sariling tahanan na maaari nilang uwian,” he added.
The Expanded 4PH Program continues to roll out housing developments across the country, ensuring that more Filipinos—including OFWs—can access safe, decent, and affordable homes.
For many OFWs, the program represents more than just housing—it is the fulfillment of a long-held dream of providing stability and dignity for their families.
“Maraming salamat sa programang ito ng gobyerno… dahil ang daming OFW kahit matagal na nagtatrabaho ay wala pang nabibilhan na property… pangarap nila para sa pamilya nila na habang nag-aabroad sila, pag-uwi nila, meron silang bahay na masasabing sa kanila,” Libanan said.
Secretary Aliling emphasized that the government remains committed to making homeownership more attainable for every Filipino.
“Ang layunin ng Expanded 4PH ay hindi lamang magpatayo ng bahay, kundi magbigay ng pagkakataon sa bawat Pilipino—lalo na sa ating mga OFWs—na magkaroon ng sarili nilang tahanan na simbolo ng kanilang sakripisyo, pag-asa, at tagumpay para sa kanilang pamilya,” he said. (PR)
