The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the University of the Philippines (UP) have officially marked the start of full-scale construction for the UP-Los Baños 4PH Rental Housing Project, holding a concrete pouring ceremony at the project site in Barangay Paciano Rizal, Bay, Laguna.
Led by DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling and UP President Angelo Jimenez, alongside Senior Undersecretary Eduardo Robles Jr. and UPLB Chancellor Dr. Jose V. Camacho Jr., the event signifies a major step forward in bringing affordable, government-backed rental housing to the university community after a 45-year wait. The last government housing project at UPLB was established under the administration of President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.
Addressing Housing Needs for the UPLB Community
The initial phase of the development will supply 320 housing units under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program. The project is designed to serve qualified beneficiaries within the university, including low-income academic and non-academic staff, students, and local informal settler families.
By bringing rental housing directly adjacent to the campus footprint, the initiative aims to provide safe, dignified, and accessible shelter while reducing daily transit burdens for university workers and students.
Accelerating Public-Private and Institutional Collaboration
The concrete pouring comes just five months after the project’s initial groundbreaking, demonstrating an accelerated timeline driven by close coordination between DHSUD and UP administration.
DHSUD Secretary Aliling emphasized that the Expanded 4PH initiative seeks to address the country’s broader housing backlog by developing secure, well-planned communities. The transition into full construction signals a continuing shift toward utilizing institutional land assets for sustainable, low-cost socialized housing developments across the Philippines.
As construction ramps up in Laguna, the project stands as a practical blueprint for how government agencies and educational institutions can unlock idle land resources to address acute urban shelter needs. Once completed, the UPLB 4PH development is expected to elevate overall living standards for campus workers and set a strong precedent for future institutional housing programs across the country.
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