The government has relaxed the rules of its subsidized housing plan, called the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, to enable more overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to avail of socialized housing units regardless of their monthly incomes.
This is among the salient provisions of Pag-IBIG Fund Circular No. 473, signed by Chief Executive Officer Marilene Acosta on July 10, 2025, the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) said in a statement on Monday, August 4.
Circular No. 473 set the guidelines on end-user financing for the Expanded 4PH, the DHSUD explained.
“OFWs shall be qualified to avail of the program, regardless of the decile classification,” the circular stated.
The OFWs must still meet other requirements, such as a Pag-IBIG Fund active membership; status as a first-time homeowner, not more than 65 years old at the date of application; and being insurable and not more than 70 years of age at loan maturity, among others.
Previously, all Filipino first-time homebuyers with incomes in the lower income deciles were qualified to apply for socialized housing units under the flagship program. These were families with a monthly income of not more than P47,000 for Metro Manila and P34,684 outside the capital.
As of 2023, an estimated 2.16 million OFWs were employed in different countries.
Under the latest guidelines, socialized vertical and horizontal housing enrolled in the Expanded 4PH will only be subjected to a 3-percent interest rate for up to 10 years. This is almost half of the prevailing interest rate at 6.25 percent per annum.
An Expanded 4PH beneficiary who avails of a horizontal socialized housing unit (with a price of P850,000) will be paying a monthly amortization of as low as P3,583 instead of the P5,233 with the prevailing interest rate. A beneficiary who will avail of the P1.5-million vertical unit will pay as low as P6,324 monthly instead of P9,235.
The DHSUD said these rates could still be lowered further if the applicant-beneficiaries qualify for a government subsidy.
