THE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) said on Monday that informal settler families (ISFs) in Valenzuela City have been spared from displacement because of the expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program.
DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said the agency, through the Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC), provided cash assistance to the association to which the over 200 individual informal settlers belong.
The support marks a step toward owning the land they have called home for decades, facilitated under the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP), Aliling said.
“For members of the Bagong Pag-asa Neighborhood Association of Parada Inc. in Barangay Parada, the assistance represents more than just land ownership — it symbolizes renewed hope, stability, and the chance to continue living with dignity within a community that offers close access to essential services such as health care and their livelihoods,” Aliling said.
He and SHFC President and CEO Federico Laxa led the distribution of over P9 million in assistance to cover land acquisition and related taxes for the 2,318-square-meter property occupied by the families.
Robert Salabao, 30, who works at a public hospital in Barangay Karuhatan, shared how meaningful it is for families to finally secure the place where they grew up and built their lives.
“To be honest, we have long dreamed of owning this place. We grew up here, and we started our families here. It has truly been our dream to own this land. We are overjoyed that the time has finally come when we can say this land is ours,” he said in Filipino.
Salabao also emphasized how remaining in the community allows residents to continuously access health care and government services.
Aliling said the expanded 4PH program seeks not only to provide housing security but also to uplift the dignity and quality of life of Filipino families.
For Elmer Rivera, the neighborhood association head, the initiative would allow families to finally invest in their own future instead of continuously paying rent without security.
Rivera cited how the location of their community allows residents to remain connected to essential daily services, and added that programs such as expanded 4PH give ordinary Filipinos the chance to live in safer and more dignified communities.
Beneficiaries are expected to pay an estimated monthly amortization of P681.29, the DHSUD said.
Since the ECMP’s launch in July 2025, 45 projects have been approved, which are expected to benefit more than 7,700 families nationwide.
