The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) is now offering various options under its flagship housing program, saying that under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH), homebuyers are no longer a “captive market.”
Housing czar Jose Ramon Aliling said the DHSUD has transformed the Expanded 4PH Program into a simplified, people-centric, and sustainable approach to addressing homelessness.
As part of the program, DHSUD now includes horizontal developments or subdivision-like projects, revives the beneficiary-centered Community Mortgage Program (CMP), and promotes rental and incremental housing—providing a broader range of choices for targeted beneficiaries.
The agency has tasked key shelter agencies with specific responsibilities. The Social Housing Finance Corp. is in charge of reviving and enhancing the CMP, including incremental housing; the National Housing Authority leads in rental housing; the Pag-IBIG Fund introduces exclusive low-interest programs for socialized housing; and the National Home Mortgage Finance Corp. focuses on the housing secondary market.
“With these, we now have more options to offer our beneficiaries depending on their needs and capacity. Instead of the previous limited choices that rendered homebuyers a captive market, we’ve made the Expanded 4PH a beneficiary-focused program,” Aliling said.
He emphasized that this aligns with President Marcos’ directive to expand the range of beneficiaries—from the working class to the most vulnerable sectors. A captive market is defined as one with few sellers and limited consumer choice, often resulting in monopoly-like conditions.
Previously, the 4PH focused primarily on vertical housing or condominium-type developments, which DHSUD said lacked popularity due to their higher costs compared to more preferred subdivision-type housing.
