More than 7,000 Ilonggos, including informal settler families and low-income workers, are expected to benefit from two housing projects launched in Jaro, Iloilo on Thursday, May 28, under the government’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program.

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling led separate concrete pouring ceremonies for the Iloilo Residences in Barangay Sambag and the Uswag 4PH Condominium Complex in Barangay San Isidro to mark the start of construction for both projects.

The rollout forms part of the Marcos administration’s expanded housing program, which now includes rental housing alongside condominium-type developments in response to rising urban housing demand and the growing number of informal settlers in major cities.

“These projects in Iloilo City prove DHSUD’s stronger push for the Expanded 4PH program in line with President Marcos Jr.’s directive that no Filipino should be left behind in the government’s housing program,” Aliling said.

The DHSUD chief was joined by Senior Undersecretary Eduardo Robles Jr., who heads the Expanded 4PH Project Management Office, during the ceremony for Iloilo Residences.

Iloilo City Mayor Raisa Treñas described the project as a “beacon of hope and brighter future” for city residents.

Iloilo Residences is among the pilot rental housing projects under the expanded 4PH program, and is also the first rental housing scheme undertaken by the Iloilo City government.

Once completed, the project will have two seven-story residential buildings with 362 housing units intended for families needing immediate shelter but who may not yet be financially capable of home ownership.

Aliling said the rental housing component was designed to give struggling families decent housing while helping them stabilize their finances.

“That is why we expanded the program to address the different housing needs of our fellow Filipinos. Here in Iloilo, we can see the cooperation between the government and the private sector,” he noted.

The second project, the Uswag 4PH Condominium Complex, targets working-class residents, which aims to generate 1,677 condominium-type housing units through 13 ten-story buildings.

The project is expected to benefit more than 5,000 Ilonggos, according to DHSUD.

The expanded 4PH program has increasingly relied on partnerships with local government units and private developers to speed up housing construction nationwide. The government has also tapped Pag-IBIG Fund financing to make units more accessible to minimum wage earners and low-income families.

Aliling said subsidized Pag-IBIG rates would help qualified members secure homes under the program.

“With the support of Pag-IBIG financing, more Filipino families will have the opportunity to own homes at affordable costs. This is the goal of the Expanded 4PH program — to make the dream of having a home possible for every Filipino,” he mentioned.