The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) stressed that the country’s poorest families remain the primary beneficiaries of the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.
In an interview during Dos Por Dos on Thursday, DHSUD Secretary Engr. Jose Ramon Aliling said that the recent adjustments to the initiative were made to ensure that assistance reaches those who need it most.
Aliling said the agency is now focused on strengthening the quality of implementation rather than chasing numerical targets, noting that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has directed them to center the program on the most vulnerable Filipinos.
“Ang priority natin ngayon is yung quality ng programa, meaning, yung talagang dapat makinabang sa pabahay program ng gobyerno, sila dapat ang maging benepisyaryo,” Aliling said in an interview with Dos Por Dos, noting that it was also the President’s instruction to put the poorest citizens at the center of the housing program.
Aliling added that the government has expanded the housing program to broaden its reach across different income groups. Previously concentrated on vertical or condominium-style developments, the program now includes horizontal housing or raw houses, the Community Mortgage Program through the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), and the revived implementation of long-delayed presidential proclamations.
According to Aliling, these presidential proclamations involve government lands long occupied by informal settler families who, despite decades of residence, were unable to secure legal documentation.
“‘Yung mga nakatanggap ng award minsan anak o apo na ng original na benepisyaryo. Ganun katagal eh,” he emphasized, explaining that prolonged delays stemmed from multi-agency procedures involving national offices and local government units.
Aliling said the DHSUD has already started awarding long-pending titles, with the Chief Executive personally leading the turnover during a housing expo in October. He noted that the current administration intends to push long-stalled processes forward as part of its commitment to secure tenure for informal settlers.
The Secretary added that enhancing the 4PH ensures that housing support becomes more accessible, comprehensive, and responsive to the needs of low-income families.
“Inenhance natin yung Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program or yung 4PH. Noong inexpand natin ang 4PH, ibig sabihin dinagdagan natin ang mga modalities para lumawak, magkaroon ng available na housing program sa bawat income segment,” Aliling said.
