THE UNIVERSITY of the Philippines Los Baños has launched a new rental housing project under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, aimed at benefiting around 800 low-income university employees.

According to Presidential Communications Office Undersecretary and Palace Press Officer Claire Castro, this initiative marks the first housing project for UPLB employees in over four decades.

During a Palace press briefing on Friday, Castro noted that the project addresses a long-standing gap in employee housing that dates back to the 1980s, when a similar program was last pursued during the administration of former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.

The project was formally launched by Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling and UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr. Two-storey residential buildings will be constructed in Paciano Rizal, Bay, Laguna, as part of the fifth rental housing development under the Expanded 4PH Program.

Beyond UPLB employees, the project is also expected to provide housing opportunities for some informal settler families living near the UPLB Rural High School campus.