President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on Tuesday reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to expanding land and home ownership nationwide, stressing that providing titles to families without secure tenure remains a key government priority.

Marcos made the statement as he led the awarding of land titles to beneficiaries of the Community Mortgage Program during his visit to Barangay 167 in Llano, Caloocan City.

The President distributed 110 titles to beneficiaries during the event, following the turnover of 913 land titles on Sept. 13.

“Napakahalaga na trabaho ng ating pamahalaan na makapagbigay ng titulo para sa ating mga kababayan na wala pang tahanan (It is a very important responsibility of our government to provide land titles to our countrymen who do not have homes yet),” Marcos said.

He said housing remains a major priority of his administration amid the country’s continuing shortage of socialized and low-cost housing.

“At ito po ay ang aming isang malaking prayoridad sa administrasyong ito dahil malaki po ang pagkukulang ng socialized at low-cost housing para sa ating mga kababayan (And this is one of the major priorities of this administration because there is a significant shortage of socialized and low-cost housing for our countrymen),” he said.

Marcos said the national government is working with local governments to address the housing gap and provide more Filipino families with safe and secure homes.

He emphasized that having a home and a title proving ownership gives families greater security and serves as a foundation for achieving their aspirations.

“Kaya napakahalaga po, at napakasaya ko po na makita ang mga development na ginagawa (That is why this is very important, and I am very happy to see the developments being undertaken),” Marcos said.

Marcos acknowledged that addressing the country’s housing needs is a massive undertaking but stressed the importance of starting and sustaining the effort.

He assured beneficiaries that the government would continue its housing programs nationwide until more families are provided with secure homes.

He expressed hope that the government would eventually reach a point where it would no longer have to continually catch up with the country’s housing needs.

“Sana dumating na ang panahon, dumating na ang araw na masabi natin, hindi na tayo maghahabol sa pabahay ng ating mga kababayan. Iyon po ang hangarin natin at mabuti naman at kayo ay mga naging benepisyaryo dito sa programang ito (Hopefully, the time will come when we can say that we no longer have to catch up with the housing needs of our countrymen. That is our aspiration, and it is good that you have become beneficiaries of this program),” he said.

Marcos also urged the beneficiaries to take good care of their properties, saying land ownership would provide their families with greater security and comfort in the future.

The title awarding was carried out through the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program of the Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC), one of the housing initiatives under the administration’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.

The Community Mortgage Program provides affordable financing to organized community associations for land acquisition and other housing requirements, allowing residents of informal settlements to secure ownership of the land they occupy and develop organized communities.

Since its establishment in 1988, the program has helped more than 301,000 families nationwide gain security of tenure.

The Llano homeowners’ associations entered into individual Community Mortgage Program agreements with SHFC over nearly 15 years before forming a federation in 2020. (PNA)