The government has launched the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP) in 34 sites approved by the Social Housing Finance Corp. (SHFC) and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), including in Metro Manila.

The ECMP allows people with limited incomes to own a home within the capital, where prices are steep.

The mortgage plan is under the government’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program, SHFC president and CEO Federico Laxa said on Tuesday.

“We approved it in two to three months. Now we are processing their payments,” Laxa said in an interview on the sidelines of an awarding ceremony held by the agency yesterday.

Centennial Sunrise in Pasig City, according to Laxa, is the first ECMP project for which the SHFC paid for the land.

“The check that we paid was for P21 million. The land was really cheap,” he said.

The DHSUD said the amount was an early Christmas gift to 4PH beneficiaries.

The payment to the landowner will pave the way for the community’s transition to a legitimate, secure land ownership.

Seventy-four beneficiaries or homeowner members will occupy the 9,700-square-meter lot, which the government purchased for its specialized housing program.

“This is in line with President Marcos Jr.’s directive to provide our countrymen with a more dignified way of life by ensuring their security. We want every Filipino family to feel the assurance and dignity that come with owning the land they live on,” DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said.

“This is an early Christmas gift from President Marcos Jr. May it serve as a renewed source of hope and inspiration for our countrymen, encouraging them to strive harder and to take part in nation building,” he added.

Low monthly amortization

“The price is a bargain. We still have discounts to give. Our amortization here is around P500 per month. That is really low. It is really low for a lot in Metro Manila,” Laxa said.

“The most important thing is affordability for the people. They need to be able to pay. If the land is too expensive, we talk to the landowners, if they can lower the price a little bit because our people cannot afford it. So, basically, on average, it is really cheap,” he said.

Of the 34 approved ECMP sites, six are in Metro Manila, Laxa said.

“Not just here in Metro Manila where we approved six ECMP sites — we also have one in Valenzuela City and in Visayas and Mindanao,” he added.

“The geographical distribution of our ECMP sites is equally divided. There are 34 sites for this year. We will continue to accept applications for other areas,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Metropolitan Waterworks and Sewerage System-Regulatory Office (MWSS-RO) assured the homeowners of safe, clean, and very affordable water after it recently signed a memorandum of understanding with the SHFC.

“To our water concessionaires, there is a mandate to ensure that the water that flows to our homes is safe, clean, and reachable. Our duty is to take care of the well-being of each consumer, especially the families who need it the most,” MWSS-RO officer-in-charge Lee Roberto Britanico said in his speech during the awarding ceremony.

Britanico said they have implemented the Enhanced Lifeline Program for individual water service connections, offering a discount of up to 10 cubic meters.

“So now, in the Enhanced Lifeline Program, which we started earlier this year, we have extended it to 20 cubic meters because we know that our households need more water,” Britanico said.