(Photo courtesy of PNA)
MANILA – Socialized housing financing under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program surged by 172 percent during the first nine months of 2026, driven by lower home loan interest rates and expanded housing options for low-income Filipinos.
According to a report released Friday by Pag-IBIG Fund, financing for socialized housing reached Php 12.10 billion from January to September, significantly higher than the Php 4.45 billion recorded during the same period in 2025.
The number of socialized housing units financed also increased to 10,904 from 3,987 a year earlier, representing a rise of approximately 173 percent.
Socialized housing accounted for nearly 16 percent of all homes financed by Pag-IBIG Fund during the period, compared with just 7 percent in the previous year.
Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling attributed the increase to the government’s efforts to make homeownership more accessible, particularly for minimum-wage earners and low-income families.
Aliling said the latest figures demonstrate the impact of the administration’s expanded housing initiatives, which provide more affordable financing options for qualified Filipino workers.
Under the Expanded 4PH Program, eligible Pag-IBIG Fund members purchasing socialized housing units can avail themselves of a subsidized home loan interest rate of 3 percent, covering both condominium units and subdivision developments.
The program has also been expanded beyond its original focus on vertical housing to include house-and-lot packages, residential lots, rental housing, and the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program.
Meanwhile, Pag-IBIG Fund introduced promotional interest rates of 4.5 percent for housing loans of up to Php 4.9 million and 5.75 percent for loans of up to Php 10 million, subject to existing requirements.
Aliling emphasized that the lower financing rates are helping more Filipino families pursue homeownership while allowing borrowers to choose housing options suited to their financial capacity.
Overall, Pag-IBIG Fund financed 68,514 housing units worth Php 111.29 billion from January to September 2026, compared with 59,789 units valued at Php 93.03 billion during the same period last year.
The figures represent a 15 percent increase in the number of homes financed and a 20 percent rise in total housing loan releases.
The DHSUD said the government would continue strengthening affordable housing initiatives to help more Filipinos, particularly low-income workers, secure decent and sustainable homes.
