SBMA announces 4PH housing for Subic freeport workers 

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) Chairperson and Administrator Eduardo Jose Aliño said Thursday the socialized housing for workers inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone (SBFZ) would start construction in the first quarter of the year, according to a report by Philippine News Agency.

The socialized housing is under the Marcos administration’s Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.

“(M)ag-uumpisa kami ngayong February, March ng construction, and hopefully, we can finish some of it by the end of the year to middle of next year – iyon ang para sa mga empleyado ng SBMA (We will start construction this February or March, and hopefully, we can finish some of it by the end of the year to middle of next year – that's for SBMA employees,” Aliño said in an interview with Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon.

In May 2024, SBMA signed a memorandum of understanding with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) to construct socialized housing under the 4PH Program within the SBFZ.

The housing project aims to provide affordable yet sustainable houses to freeport zone workers who fall under the low-income bracket.

“Its purpose is that it is closest to their workplace. Because what we want to happen is that after you work, we want you to be able to just walk from your work to home to save time and save money," Aliño said in Filipino.

Some freeport zone workers came from other provinces in Central Luzon, such as Bataan, Pampanga, and Tarlac.

Aliño said SBMA closed 2024 with 164,000 workers, adding 7,000 jobs from 2023’s employment of 157,000.

He said these jobs would further grow as investors have committed to generating more employment to support their operations inside the SBFZ.