The University of the Philippines (UP) has announced that construction of its low-cost rental housing project, known as the UP Southern Diliman Gardens Rental Housing Project, will begin later this year.
The project, which is part of the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, aims to provide affordable, decent, secure, and accessible shelter for UP staff and informal settler families (ISFs) who are currently living in substandard conditions.
The university has stated that it has a legal duty to protect and utilize its land for the UP community, and that it cannot turn a blind eye to the substandard living conditions in its own backyard.
Tensions rose at Pook Malantic in Barangay UP Campus, UP Diliman, on Wednesday when residents formed a human barricade out of fear of demolition, preventing a private truck and security personnel from entering the community.
The university clarified that no house demolitions were ordered that day and that it intended only to fence the perimeter of the on-site transition housing area.
According to the university, it is committed to providing 'secure' and 'dignified' shelter to at least 26 ISFs who may be affected by the construction of its housing project.
The project, which comprises eight walk-up buildings totaling about 1,000 housing units, each measuring 27 square meters, is expected to be completed in 2027.
The rental housing initiative will be undertaken by Megawide Construction, the contractor for the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).
UP has also committed to providing livelihood training and support, sustainable communal urban farming, education and university readiness programs, and other initiatives for the welfare of community members.
The university earlier unveiled the model unit for its pilot rental housing project that is expected to benefit over 3,000 individuals, and apart from the Diliman campus, DHSUD is also implementing a rental housing project for UP-Los Baños.
