Naga city: Three more communities in Naga City have gained security of tenure through the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP), one of the housing initiatives under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.'s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.
According to Philippines News Agency, Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC) President and CEO Federico Laxa and Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo awarded checks totaling more than PHP65.8 million to the Mabolo Village Homeowners' Association Phases 1 and 2 and Saint Joseph Homeowners Association during a ceremony in Barangay Pacol late Tuesday afternoon. Representing the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), Assistant Secretary Johnson Domingo also attended the event on behalf of Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling.
The awarding will benefit 420 families and was among the highlights of Jesse Robredo Day, a special working holiday in Naga City honoring the legacy of the late interior secretary and former city mayor. The latest assistance brings the total number of ECMP beneficiaries in Naga City to more than 800 families, with combined loan assistance reaching about PHP92 million.
In June, the SHFC also awarded checks to two other ECMP communities in the city, further strengthening its support for Nague±os seeking secure and affordable housing. Laxa said the latest awarding builds on the SHFC's continuous efforts to expand access to secure tenure among low-income communities. "From now on, they will be able to sleep soundly," he said. "They will have peace of mind and will no longer fear being evicted from their land."
Thanking the DHSUD and SHFC for their continued efforts to assist her constituents, Robredo described the Community Mortgage Program (CMP) as a "life-changing" program, particularly because it allows families to remain in their existing communities. "The best ang CMP kasi onsite. Hindi na sila mamomroblemang ilipat sila (The best thing about the CMP is that it is onsite. They will no longer have to worry about being relocated)," she said.
Meanwhile, Mabolo Village Phase 1 president Rowena Ba±as and Mabolo Village Phase 2 president Marissa Ramirez expressed their gratitude, describing the housing assistance as an "answered prayer." Sharing the sentiment, Saint Joseph Homeowners Association president Nilo Villaflor underscored the timeliness of the assistance, noting that their community had faced the threat of eviction before being enlisted under the ECMP.
Launched last year, the ECMP is SHFC's improved and streamlined version of the 38-year-old CMP, designed to make housing assistance more responsive, accessible, and transformative for organized low-income communities. To date, 47 ECMP projects have been approved, benefiting more than 8,000 families across the country.
