Laguna: Top officials of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the University of the Philippines (UP) on Friday broke ground for a housing project under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s flagship Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, signaling the start of construction of the first housing project in UP Los Ba±os after 45 years. DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling and UP President Angelo Jimenez led the groundbreaking ceremony at the project site in Paciano Rizal, Bay, Laguna.

According to Philippines News Agency, the on-campus rental housing project will initially benefit about 1,000 low-income employees and students of UP Los Ba±os, and informal settler families within its vicinity. "Alinsunod sa direktiba ni Pangulong Marcos Jr., patuloy ang paglawig ng Expanded 4PH upang mas maraming Pilipino pa ang ating matulungan sa kanilang pangangailangan ng disente, ligtas at abot kayang pabahay," Aliling said, highlighting the project's alignment with the President's directive to expand the housing program.

The UPLB rental housing project is the first such initiative in 45 years, since the last shelter project at the university was implemented during former President Ferdinand E. Marcos Sr.'s administration in the 1980s. UP President Jimenez emphasized the importance of providing decent housing within UP campuses for the welfare of its constituents and described the partnership with DHSUD as a significant step in his transformative agenda.

UPLB Chancellor Jose Camacho Jr. noted the swift execution of the project, finalized in just two months, as a major advancement in the administration's efforts to provide adequate housing for its community. Aliling reaffirmed his commitment to supporting UP's housing initiatives through the Expanded 4PH.

In addition to the UPLB project, DHSUD has signed an agreement for a similar initiative at the UP Diliman campus. Aliling reiterated the agency's dedication to extending government services to the populace and collaborating with various government agencies to achieve this goal.