FACT CHECK: Online registration for ‘free’ Marcos housing project is untrue

Claim: Interested individuals who wish to sign up for the government’s free housing program should register through the link provided in a Facebook post.

Rating: FALSE

Why we fact-checked this: The Facebook post containing the claim has 12 shares, 80 comments, and 34 reactions as of writing. It was posted on a public Facebook page named “DSWD NEWS UPDATE” with 28,400 members. 

The post claims that the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program (4PH) of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s administration is for free. The post’s caption says, “Libreng Pabahay. Tandaan: libre at walang babayaran kahit piso.” (Free housing. Remember: free and no payment needed.)

Interested individuals are asked to register via the link provided in the post and to message the post’s author. 

The facts: Rappler has already debunked these misleading posts in a fact check in 2023. 

The Marcos administration’s housing project is not for free, and there is no online registration. The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), the lead agency implementing the project, clarified in 2022 that the houses under the project need to be paid for. 

During the groundbreaking ceremony in Quezon City in September 2022, DHSUD Secretary Jose Rizalino “Jerry” Acuzar said, “Itong pabahay na ito, binabayaran, kaya kung maaari sana iyong mga bibili ng bahay magbayad sana para matuloy ang programa.”

(The houses need to be paid for, so those who would like to buy a house should pay for the project to continue.)

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Lower interest rates: The Marcos administration launched the 4PH to provide affordable housing to Filipinos and address the country’s 6.5 million housing backlog. 

Depending on the site location and type of housing, prices of housing units under the project range from P580,000 to P1,150,000. The DHSUD also lowered the preferential interest rate on loans from 6% down to 1% for houses under the project to make them affordable. 

No online registration: Contrary to the post’s claim that registrations for the program is done through the online link, DHSUD clarified in October 2022 that interested individuals need to coordinate with their local government units, which will determine qualified beneficiaries for the housing project. (READ: LGU ang mangangasiwa sa pagtukoy ng mga benepisyaryo ng pambansang pabahay)

The supposed registration link provided in the post redirects to a blogging site, not an official government website. Several users have left comments on the site with their personal information such as name, address, age, and mobile number. This puts them at risk of having their data stolen, which may be used in phishing scams and identity theft. (READ: Phishing 101: How to spot and avoid phishing)

Similar fact checks: Rappler has debunked posts that falsely claim to contain registration links to various government housing projects that are supposedly free:

• FACT CHECK: No nationwide free housing program for all Filipinos
• ​​FACT CHECK: Marcos admin’s housing project is not free
• ​​FALSE: Sign-ups for nationwide free housing program
• Hindi libre ang pambansang pabahay na programa ng gobyerno

Official news: For official updates, refer to the National Housing Authority’s website and its official accounts on Facebook and YouTube. – Ailla Dela Cruz/Rappler.com

Keep us aware of suspicious Facebook pages, groups, accounts, websites, articles, or photos in your network by contacting us at factcheck@rappler.com. Let us battle disinformation one Fact Check at a time.