Manila's vertical housing revolution: Tondominium, Binondominium 1 & 2, and San Lazaro milestones

Manila: The on-going "in-city vertical housing" drive for thousands of low-income families has hit a fresh milestones, with potential to address the decades-old squatting problem in the Philippine capital, though state-backed urban renewal.

At least four developments have turned blighted areas into mid-rise towers for informal settlers and low-income workers.

Spearheaded by the Manila City government, these projects prioritise accessibility, avoiding relocation trauma while integrating amenities.

Funded via loans from the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP), they blend residences with public services, setting a model for dense megacities.

On November 27, 2025, President Ferdinand "Bongbong" R. Marcos Jr., also known as "BBM", led the inauguration of the San Lazaro Residences in Sta. Cruz, Manila.

San Lazaro Residences is an in-city vertical housing project (20 storeys) with 382 units, health facilities, and community amenities designed to provide quality, accessible urban living for beneficiaries.

On November 27, 2025, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. inaugurated San Lazaro Residences in Sta. Cruz, Manila — a 20-storey beacon of urban renewal on the former Manila Health Department parking lot and public health centre site.

The project broke ground on August 21, 2021. It is the fourth housing project of the City of Manila.

San Lazaro Residences is located at the corner of Alvarez and Quiricada Streets, in Manila's Sta Cruz district.

It has 20 floors with 382 residential units. A public health laboratory and health centre are now located within the property.

Earlier, the city government has already turned over housing units at the Basecommunity in Tondo, as well as Binondominium and Tondominiums 1 and 2 as well as the Binondominium.

Floors 1-4: Manila Public Health Laboratory (water bacteriology, Lanza Health) with dedicated elevators.

Amenities include: swimming pool, function rooms (5th/9th/14th/19th floors), activity areas, 169 parking slots (cars/motorcycles/ambulances), 5 resident elevators, PWD lift, and 3 commercial spaces.

A ceremonial raffle drew 5 qualified beneficiaries on-site.

Marcos praised Mayor Isko Moreno Domagoso's blueprint: “Kailangan magpaturo kami sa inyo... Ikaw na mag-in charge doon para mabilis ang pabahay natin. (We need you to teach us. You be in charge so housing can be solved fast.)”

He hailed it as replicable for LGUs, embodying "safe, adequate, comfortable shelter" with health/community integration. ​

This "Pambansang Pabahay" (National Housing) initiative signals Manila's shift from sprawl to vertical equity, eyeing nationwide rollout amid 2025's housing backlog.

In August 2021, a raffle draw was held to pick the 80 beneficiaries of Tondominium 1 and 2 that are expected to be completed by December.

"Dito sa in-city vertical housing program ng lungsod, wala ng magiging iskwater, may kapanatagan na ang mga pamilyang nagbenepisyo at magbebenepisyo habambuhay (In this in-city vertical housing program of the city, nobody will be an informal settler anymore and the families who benefit and who will benefit from it will finally have peace of mind)," Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso said in his speech. 

There are signs of uptick in state-backed housing: Loan uptake from a government housing fund has been up.

From January to October 2025, the state-owned Home Mutual Development Fund (Pag-IBIG Fund) provided loans to 3.2 million Filipinos, 28% higher than that of the same period last year.