After a wait of more than two decades, approximately 700 families in Caloocan City on Thursday finally received their land titles under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s flagship Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.

The distribution ceremony, held at the Caloocan Sports Complex, marks a significant step in the government’s push to provide secure, decent, and affordable housing for Filipino families.

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling commended the event, calling it a tangible result of President Marcos’ directive to strengthen public housing delivery.

“In accordance with the directive of President Marcos Jr., the DHSUD and all our key shelter agencies are continuously pushing for and expanding the Expanded 4PH so that more Filipino families can have their own safe, decent, and affordable homes for a more dignified life,” Aliling said.

He added that the title awarding by the National Housing Authority (NHA) “proves the intensified commitment of our administration to help ease the lives of our countrymen.”

The title distribution was made under Presidential Proclamation No. 366, which covers the Tala Development Project, a 149-hectare area in Caloocan City.

Of the total area, 120 hectares were designated for bona fide leprosy patients, censused families and qualified residents, while the remaining 29 hectares cover low-rise residential units and barracks.

The Tala Project’s origins date back to 1995 with Republic Act 7999, signed by then-President Fidel V. Ramos. The law declared portions of the Tala Estate as alienable and disposable and tasked the NHA with carrying out the disposition program. The project was later expanded in 2000 through Proclamation No. 366 by President Joseph Estrada, which allocated an additional 50 hectares for bona fide Hansen patients and their families.

Aliling was joined at the ceremony by NHA general manager Joeben Tai, Caloocan City Mayor Dale Gonzalo Malapitan and Representatives Oscar Malapitan and Dean Asistio. Their presence underscored the importance of collaboration between national and local agencies in delivering government housing programs.