LOS BAÑOS, LAGUNA— Around 1,000 low-income employees and students of the University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB), as well as informal settler families in the campus’ vicinity, will soon benefit from a housing project to be constructed in Barangay Paciano Rizal in Bay, Laguna under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s flagship Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.
Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling and UP President Angelo Jimenez led the groundbreaking ceremony at the project site in Paciano Rizal, Bay, Laguna on Friday, March 6. According to DHSUD, this will be the first housing project in UPLB in 45 years.
“The on-campus rental housing project will initially benefit about 1,000 low-income employees and students of UPLB, as well as informal settler families within its vicinity,” Aliling said in a statement.
Aliling added that, in line with the directive of President Marcos Jr., the government continues to expand the 4PH program to help more Filipinos meet their need for decent, safe, and affordable housing.
According to DHSUD, the rental housing project aims to provide a more dignified living condition for Filipinos who are most in need. The UPLB rental housing project comes 45 years after the last shelter project in the university, which was implemented during the administration of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr. in the 1980s.
In his remarks, Jimenez cited the significance of decent and dignified housing within UP campuses for the welfare of its constituents, stressing that the UP management should take a “hands-on” stance in addressing the concern. He described the partnership between DHSUD and UP as a step forward in pursuing a transformative agenda for the university and its constituents—students, faculty members, and residents.
For his part, UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr. noted the swift progress of the joint project with DHSUD, saying it was finalized in just two months. He described it as a major boost to the UPLB administration’s efforts to provide decent housing for its constituents.
Aliling also vowed continued support for UP’s housing initiatives through President Marcos Jr.’s Expanded 4PH Program. Aside from the UPLB rental housing project, DHSUD has also signed an agreement for a similar project at the UP Diliman campus.
“Malinaw po ang utos ng Pangulong Marcos Jr., ibaba natin ang mga serbisyo ng gobyerno sa ating mga kababayan. Kaya patuloy po ang DHSUD sa pakikipag-ugnayan sa iba’t ibang ahensya ng pamahalaan upang makatulong kami,” Aliling said.
By Lane Afable, News Editor
