As businesses count the costs of the housing-commute crisis, the government has launched its most ambitious housing program yet. The question is whether policy solutions can move fast enough to help companies retain talent.
The 4PH promise
The Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) program launched in 2022 with a target to build 6.5 million housing units by 2028 and achieve zero informal settlers. The program differs from previous housing efforts by emphasizing location—building near schools, workplaces, hospitals, and markets rather than pushing families to distant relocation sites.
DHSUD subsidizes up to 5% of loan interest rates, making homeownership more accessible to families earning ₱25,000-50,000 monthly. Condominium-type developments have begun turnover in multiple locations, offering an alternative to traditional socialized housing that often isolates residents from economic opportunities.
The business connection
The program’s focus on location could address the spatial mismatch that forces workers into long commutes. DHSUD is prioritizing developments within or near employment centers, acknowledging that affordable housing far from jobs creates the problems businesses face today.
Private developers receive income tax holidays and other fiscal incentives for participating in socialized and economic housing projects. This opens opportunities for businesses to partner with developers on employee housing initiatives while accessing government support.
Reality check: the housing roadmap
The Unified Philippine Housing Roadmap (2025-2040) goes beyond building units. It calls for streamlining permits and digitizing approvals to reduce development costs, creating flexible mortgage products for families who can’t access traditional financing, offering green building incentives to promote sustainable construction, and implementing smart density planning to avoid creating new traffic bottlenecks.
The roadmap emphasizes public-private partnerships, which could allow companies to participate directly in housing solutions for their workforce.
What businesses can do now
Companies aren’t waiting for government programs to mature. Current opportunities include partnering with developers by guaranteeing occupancy for employee housing projects in exchange for below-market rates, making developments more attractive to builders and financiers.
Businesses providing employee housing assistance can explore tax benefits and subsidies available under current programs. Companies expanding operations can factor housing availability into site selection, choosing areas where the 4PH program is building or where housing costs remain manageable.
Flexible work arrangements can immediately reduce commute stress and improve retention while housing supply increases.
The timeline challenge
The 4PH program aims to build one million units annually—an unprecedented scale for Philippine housing policy. Regulatory delays, land acquisition challenges, and financing gaps have historically slowed housing programs.
Signs point to better execution this time. The program has begun delivering units, and the focus on condominium-style developments near employment centers differs from past approaches that isolated beneficiaries.
The bottom line
Government housing programs won’t solve the workforce retention crisis overnight, but they’re creating opportunities for businesses to participate in solutions. Companies that engage with these initiatives—through partnerships, location strategies, or employee assistance programs—may gain advantages in the tight talent market.
The question isn’t whether the 4PH program will completely fix the housing-workforce disconnect, but whether businesses will use the opportunities it creates to solve their own talent retention challenges.
