Manila: Thousands of informal settler families (ISFs) across three regions have secured land tenure following the latest distribution of cash assistance under the national government's flagship housing initiative. The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) reported that the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) expanded its rollout of the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP) under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.
According to Philippines News Agency, the recent expansion covered accredited ISF communities in Region 2 (Cagayan Valley), Region 9 (Zamboanga Peninsula), and Negros Island Region (NIR). In the Negros Island Region, the first ECMP implementation achieved a milestone in Bacolod City with the awarding of land acquisition assistance to the LK Yuman Phase 1 and 2 Homeowners Associations in Barangay Cabug. This initiative provided security of tenure to 209 families who have occupied the land for years.
In Cagayan Valley Region, housing assistance moved 77 member-beneficiaries of the CMP Homeowners Association Inc. in Solana, Cagayan, closer to homeownership, covering over 11,000 square meters of land. In Cordon, Isabela, some 134 households under the Amianan CMP Homeowners Association Inc. benefited from land acquisition support spanning more than 29,000 square meters. Meanwhile, in the Zamboanga Peninsula Region, about 115 members of the Maria Navarro Homeowners Association Inc. in Barangay Recodo, Zamboanga City, received formal documents securing their land tenure.
DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling stated that the ECMP utilizes a pro-poor, people-centric approach to lift the living standards of the urban poor sector. He emphasized the administration's commitment to promoting a life of dignity for citizens through this initiative, providing security and new hope for a better future.
The ECMP allows organized communities to legally acquire and own the land they occupy, advancing the administration's goal to provide safer, decent, and affordable housing nationwide.
