By Dean Aubrey Caratiquet
Addressing the decades-long problem of housing shortages with every new project, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) continues to fulfill President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive ensuring that Filipinos have access to decent and affordable housing.
This, as the agency partnered with the University of the Philippines (UP) management in bringing government housing to UP-Los Baños—among many other initiatives under the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.
In a media release on Monday, DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling was accompanied by Senior Undersecretary Eduardo Robles Jr., UP President Angelo Jimenez, and UP-Los Baños Chancellor Dr. Jose Camacho Jr. during the groundbreaking ceremony of an affordable rental housing for UPLB constituents on March 6, 2026.
The event culminated in the concrete pouring that kicked off full-blast construction of one of the pilot rental projects under the government’s flagship housing project.
The UPLB-Expanded 4PH Rental Housing Project will provide initially 320 housing units for qualified beneficiaries, including low-income employees and students of UPLB, as well as informal settler families within the university’s surrounding communities.
Secretary Aliling said in a statement, “Ang concrete pouring na ito ay hakbang papalapit sa pagbibigay ng mas maayos at mas may dignidad na pamumuhay sa ating mga benepisyaryo.”
He expounded, “Patuloy ang DHSUD sa pagpapalawak ng programa sa pamamagitan ng mga dagdag na modalities at policy reforms upang ating masolusyonan ng wasto ang pangangailangan sa pabahay.”
For their part, Jimenez and Camacho noted how expeditious the UPLB housing project came into fruition with the close collaboration between DHSUD and the UP management.
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