MANILA – Members of the Sitio Sto. Niño de Pasig Homeowners Association, Inc. (HOAI) in Antipolo City finally secured ownership of the land they have called home for nearly four decades through President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.'s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program.
Title distribution ceremony
A total of 133 families, composed of 460 individuals, received their individual Transfer Certificates of Title (TCTs) on Thursday, completing the legal ownership process under the Expanded 4PH's Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP). Dressed in their finest Filipinanas, the beneficiaries, now mostly senior citizens, excitedly received and waved their individual TCTs during the awarding ceremony at the Barangay Sta. Cruz covered court.
The title distribution reflects the Marcos administration's commitment to ensuring that Filipino families gain not only access to housing but also security of land tenure, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said in a news release Friday.
Government commitment to land tenure
"Under the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., we are working to ensure that every Filipino family has the opportunity to own not only a house but also the land they occupy. These land titles represent dignity, stability and a more secure future that can now be passed on to the next generation," Aliling said.
The beneficiary HOAI is composed of families originally from Pasig City but were relocated to Antipolo City following the demolition of their former homes. Through a Community Mortgage Program loan granted in 1999, the association acquired the property on which they have since established their community.
Community journey and gratitude
For HOAI president Salvacion Iliw-lliw, the awarding of the land titles marked the completion of the community's journey to secure land ownership after 38 years.
"Nandoon 'yung pangamba nung una ... dahil siyempre, ‘yung kasiguraduhan na security of tenure na tinatawag, ‘yun ang pinakamahalaga sa amin … lahat kami nagsama-sama, hindi kami nagbitaw. Nagpatuloy kami dahil gusto namin na mayroon kaming sariling lupa (There was that fear at first ... because of course, the certainty of security of tenure, as it is called, that was the most important thing to us ... we all came together, we didn't give up. We continued because we wanted to have our own land)," she said.
She expressed gratitude to the national government for helping their community finally secure the property after decades and encouraged other homeowner associations to remain steadfast.
Program impact
The title awarding forms part of the government's continuing efforts under the Expanded 4PH Program to strengthen land tenure security and provide lasting housing solutions for organized communities across the country. Aliling was joined by Social Housing Finance Corporation president Federico Laxa, Rizal Gov. Nina Ricci Ynares, DHSUD Senior Undersecretary and Expanded 4PH-Project Management Office during the TCT awarding.
