The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) are set to roll out 34 revived on-site Community Mortgage Program (CMP) projects across the country, marking a major push to expand access to affordable housing.

The move follows the green light from DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling to a proposal by SHFC president Federico Laxa signaling the restart of CMP projects that had long been stalled under previous policy shifts.

About 5,000 member-beneficiaries from low-income communities are expected to benefit from the initial phase of implementation, which is scheduled to begin in October. The CMP sites, once awarded, may eventually be developed into upgraded housing projects through incremental improvements made possible with government assistance.

“We need to prioritize high impact and implementable CMP projects and assist our beneficiaries in transforming their communities,” Aliling said.

“This is in line with President Marcos Jr.’s directive to push for pro-poor and people-centered housing programs,” he added in Filipino.

The revival of the CMP is expected to complement the government’s flagship expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program, which aims to build six million housing units by the end of the Marcos administration.

The DHSUD earlier paused the CMP initiatives during the initial rollout of the 4PH, which emphasized vertical housing development.

Laxa noted that the revived CMP projects — many of which have been pending for years — will be prioritized for the awarding of land parcels to qualified community associations. These will be further enhanced with site development features to support long-term community resilience.

“We will be more transformative with our CMP projects now, with consideration to incorporating development in our sites,” Laxa said.

The CMP is a flagship people-led housing finance and community development program under the SHFC that enables legally organized associations of low-income families to collectively purchase land they occupy — or plan to relocate to — under the principle of community ownership. It is designed to assist informal settlers in blighted areas to secure land tenure and eventually build sustainable and disaster-resilient communities.

Officials said the reactivation of the CMP projects aims not only to provide security of tenure, but also to stimulate localized development, create livelihood opportunities, and align with broader goals of urban renewal.