April 12, 2026, 12:07 pm Updated on April 12, 2026, 5:24 pm
MANILA – Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have expressed deep gratitude to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. for the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, which enabled them to finally secure homes they can call their own after years of working abroad.
Rosemarie Libanan, an OFW for 18 years and currently in Saudi Arabia, is excited to return to the country to see her dream home at the Crystal Peak Estates, one of the Expanded 4PH projects in her hometown in Pampanga. It will be the first home their family will own.
“Wala pa kaming sariling bahay dati. Ito ang pinakaunang-una. Matagal na kaming naghahanap kaso parang di ko pa kaya noon kasi ang bigat sa buwanan (We haven’t had our own house before. This is the first one. We’ve been looking for a long time but I don’t think I could afford it because of the monthly expenses),” Libanan shared during an online interview by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).
She said that upon learning of the Expanded 4PH development in her hometown, she applied through Pag-IBIG Fund, which was subsequently approved. Her brother in Pampanga assisted her and regularly checked on the unit.
“Sana pag-uwi namin this year, mapuntahan na namin siya. Maganda raw ‘yung puwesto, malapit sa lahat. Excited ako kasi kahit wala ako dun lagi, ‘yung pamilya ko, pwede silang mamasyal dun (I hope when we go home this year, we can visit him. He says the place is nice, close to everything. I’m excited because even though I’m not there all the time, my family, they can go for a walk there),” she added.
In Nueva Ecija, Sharon Joy Capyo, wife of an OFW in Japan, also shared their family’s joy after receiving their housing unit at the Palayan City Township Project, another vertical development under the Expanded 4PH Program.
“Masaya po kami na nagkaroon na kami ng sariling bahay. Nakikitira lang po kami dati sa pamilya namin (We’re happy to have our own house. We used to just live with our family before),” Capyo said.
“Kay President BBM, maraming maraming salamat po. Nabigyan po kami ng pagkakataon na magkaroon ng sariling bahay na kayang-kaya namin bayaran (To President BBM, thank you very much. We were given the opportunity to have our own house that we can afford).”
The DHSUD, through the Home Development Mutual (Pag-IBIG) Fund, has exempted OFWs from the monthly salary cap and included them among the priority beneficiaries, granting them access to affordable housing through a subsidized three percent interest rate.
“Malinaw ang direktiba ni Pangulong Marcos Jr.– gawin mas abot-kaya, mas mabilis at mas accessible ang pabahay para sa bawat Pilipino, kabilang dito ang ating mga bagong bayani na OFWs (President Marcos Jr.’s directive is clear — make housing more affordable, faster, and more accessible for every Filipino, including our new heroes, the OFWs),” DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said, as quoted in a news release Sunday.
“Sa pamamagitan ng Expanded 4PH, binibigyan natin sila ng pagkakataon na maranasan ang bunga ng kanilang sakripisyo — isang sariling tahanan na maaari nilang uwian (Through the Expanded 4PH, we are giving them the opportunity to experience the fruits of their sacrifice — a home of their own).”
The Expanded 4PH Program continues to roll out housing developments across the country, ensuring that more Filipinos, including OFWs, can access safe, decent and affordable homes.
For many OFWs, the program represents more than just housing. It is the fulfillment of a long-held dream of providing stability and dignity for their families. (PR)