Hundreds of families in an informal settlement here ended a nearly three-decade wait for land ownership Friday as the government released P14 million in housing assistance.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the Social Housing Finance Corp. awarded the funds to the Wawang Pulo Homeowners’ Association Inc. Phase 1. The check covers the acquisition of land from private owners and grants to pay for documentary stamp taxes.

The release is part of the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP), a “people-centric” initiative under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s flagship Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) housing program.

“We opened 2026 by providing security to our fellow citizens in Wawang Pulo,” DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said during the ceremony held in the community. “Following the orders of President Marcos, we will strengthen and expand programs like the ECMP to ensure more Filipino families have dignified lives.”

For the 242 member-beneficiaries, the assistance marks the end of years of uncertainty. Reynaldo dela Cruz, a 51-year-old security officer, said his community had been waiting 20 years for a “takeout,” or the official financing of their land.

“We now have hope,” Dela Cruz said. “If it weren’t for President Marcos, this wouldn’t have been approved.”

Monalisa Delapo, a 58-year-old tailor who has lived in the settlement since 2009, said she had previously only seen such land awards on television. “Now it happened to us today,” she said. “My dream is for my children, who were born here, for us to stay together and not be scattered.”

Valenzuela City Mayor Wes Gatchalian joined Aliling and SHFC president Federico Laxa in the handover. Gatchalian emphasized that local government support is vital for national housing projects to succeed in empowering residents through secure land tenure.

The Wawang Pulo project is one of 36 ECMP projects approved nationwide since the program’s launch in July 2025. Government officials expect the initiative to provide land security to more than 30,000 individuals in its initial phase.