The government is moving ahead with a pilot rental housing project at the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), opening a new affordable housing option for low-income university employees, students, and nearby informal settler families.
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and UP on Monday held a concrete pouring ceremony for the UPLB Expanded 4PH Rental Housing Project in Barangay Paciano Rizal, Bay, Laguna.
The development will provide 320 affordable rental units under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program, which is broadening the government’s housing strategy beyond traditional homeownership.
“Layunin natin sa Expanded 4PH ang matugunan ang pangangailangan ng ating mga kababayan para sa disente, ligtas, at abot-kayang pabahay,” DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said.
He said the project would help bring beneficiaries closer to secure and dignified living conditions while addressing the housing needs of communities around the university.
DHSUD and UPLB broke ground for the project on March 6, ending a 45-year gap since the university last received a new government housing development.
UP president Angelo Jimenez said the project could provide a model for rental housing as a practical alternative for workers and families who cannot readily afford homeownership.
“This will serve as proof of concept,” Jimenez said, adding that UP would continue pursuing housing projects for its “lowest paid UP employees.”
The project also reflects a shift in the government’s housing approach, with rental units being developed alongside programs aimed at helping families acquire homes.
UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr. highlighted the project’s pace, describing it as the fastest development he had encountered at the university.
For DHSUD, the UPLB project could demonstrate how rental housing can help address affordability constraints while keeping workers, students, and other beneficiaries closer to jobs, education, and essential services.
The development is also expected to support UPLB’s efforts to expand affordable accommodation within and around the campus, while giving the government another tool to address the country’s housing backlog.
