THE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) seeks to build about 200,000 housing units this year as it opens National Shelter Month with another milestone in the government’s flagship Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.
DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said over the week that the agency is using National Shelter Month to highlight its push for safe, decent and affordable homes, as well as stronger communities and more secure futures for Filipino families.
The celebration carries the theme “Tahanan. Pamayanan. Kinabukasan,” underscoring the link between adequate housing, sustainable communities and improved quality of life.
“At the heart of every housing project is a family looking forward to a better life,” Aliling said, stressing that the success of the housing program should be measured not only by the number of units built but also by the lives transformed.
The month-long celebration opens today, Oct. 5, at the DHSUD Central Office, with a thanksgiving Mass and the opening of booths and exhibits showcasing housing programs and services of key shelter agencies. The exhibits will run until Oct. 8.
The activities follow the Oct. 1 topping off of Towers C and D of 4PH Jab Residences in Barangay Paliparan, Dasmariñas, Cavite, marking another construction milestone for the 4PH-Sampaloc III project.
Aliling led the ceremony with DHSUD Senior Undersecretary Eduardo Robles Jr., Pag-IBIG Fund President and CEO Marilene Acosta, Megawide Construction Corp. CEO Edgar Saavedra, and other government and private-sector officials.
The towers are part of a 17-tower development being implemented by Megawide that is expected to generate thousands of condominium-type socialized housing units under the Expanded 4PH Program.
The DHSUD said it has delivered 135,758 housing units through various Expanded 4PH modalities, including the Social Housing Finance Corp.’s Enhanced Community Mortgage Program, modular shelter units for disaster-hit communities, and the revival of presidential proclamations.
Pag-IBIG Fund has also raised its housing loan ceiling to P10 million, with special promotional rates, as part of efforts to expand access to homeownership.
Aliling cited growing private-sector participation in the administration’s housing agenda, with major developers including Megawide, Filinvest Land Inc., Ayala Land’s Amaia and Avida, and SM Development Corp. expressing support for government housing initiatives.
DHSUD expects around 200,000 housing units this year, based on the pace of approvals for licenses to sell — a level it described as the highest since 2022 following regulatory reforms.
Beyond the 4PH construction pipeline, National Shelter Month activities will include the weekly Kapihan sa Radyo every Tuesday at 3 p.m., providing a venue for public discussions on housing and human settlements.
The second government-led National Housing Expo, organized by Pag-IBIG Fund, will be held Oct. 19 to 20 at the SMX Convention Center, offering information and services for prospective homeowners and other housing stakeholders.
The celebration will culminate in the National Real Estate Summit on Oct. 28 at the DHSUD Auditorium, where government and private-sector representatives are expected to discuss housing and real estate policies and regulatory directions.
National Shelter Month is observed every October under Proclamation 662, series of 1995, to highlight adequate housing and sustainable human settlements as a shared responsibility of government, communities, the private sector and other stakeholders.
