Low-income workers, housewives, and delivery riders have credited the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program for transforming their lives, ending decades of housing insecurity with guaranteed land tenure and affordable vertical homeownership.
Grassroots Impact Highlighted
The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) on Friday highlighted the grassroots impact of the program following successive milestones in Laguna, which provided long-term stability to thousands of families. DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling, alongside Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) President Federico Laxa and Pag-IBIG Fund CEO Marilene Acosta, reaffirmed that the state is shifting its focus toward building comprehensive, resilient urban ecosystems.
“Ang bawat pamilyang nagkakaroon ng sariling tahanan o seguridad sa lupang kanilang tinitirhan ay patunay na ang pangarap na magkabahay ng bawat Pilipino ay unti-unti nating nabibigyan ng katuparan, alinsunod sa utos ni Pangulong Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.,” Aliling said.
Beneficiary Stories
For the beneficiaries in Biñan City, the government-backed land acquisition put an end to 30 years of constant displacement anxieties. Dreamland Home Owners Association President Freddie Arollado recounted how the community turned emotional upon learning that state funding had finally validated their land ownership. “Halos majority ng member namin ay natuwa, halos nagkaiyakan pa kasi finally nga daw nandito na kami sa stage na may pondo ang gobyerno para sa kagaya namin,” he said.
Jimmy Rodelas, a factory worker who occupied the Dreamland property for 25 years, described the awarding as the realization of a lifelong dream. “Maganda kasi maraming mga natutulungan na katulad namin na mahihirap,” he said.
Delivery rider Luis Nasayao noted that having permanent roots allows him to confidently build a future without the hassle of moving. “Mas maganda yung ganito na ano panatag ka na kahit patayuan mo ng maganda yung bahay mo, mahirap yung palipat-lipat ka rin ng bahay eh,” he said.
Affordable Condominium Ownership
In Cabuyao City, the Expanded 4PH program opened a viable path toward condominium ownership for minimum-wage earners. Housewife Rizalina Magundayao said the state-subsidized project broke her grueling cycle of renting. “Buwan-buwan kailangan kong makabayad para hindi ako mapaalis sa aking inuupahan. Ngayon, syempre nagagalak ako dahil isa ako sa pinalad na mapili na magkaroon ng ganitong pabahay,” she said.
Abegail Candor, a production operator, and Grace Page, a logistics worker, emphasized that low monthly amortization schemes stabilized their family dynamics by stopping constant school transfers due to rental spikes. “Nung kumuha kami sa Pasinaya, yun na-assure namin na kahit monthly kami magbigay, assure naman na sa akin na nakapangalan yung bahay. Dito talaga may sarili ka ng bahay,” Candor said.
Small business owner Paulo Baroro likened the modern condo setup to overseas standards. “Dito safety na po ang aking mga anak at asawa dahil mataas na antas ng pabahay na may murang paghuhulog. Ang tingin ko eh para bang kami nasa ibang bansa na at namumuhay doon pero hindi nasa Pilipinas pa rin kami,” Baroro said.
Milestones Achieved
On Wednesday, 182 members of the Dreamland HOA Inc. in Barangay Tubigan, Biñan City, legally secured the land they had occupied for over three decades through the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program, a key modality of the Expanded 4PH implemented by the SHFC. Meanwhile, family-beneficiaries formally took over their brand-new units at Pasinaya Heights in Barangay Baclaran, Cabuyao City, on Thursday. The development is slated to shelter roughly 8,000 individuals upon full occupancy.
