Hundreds of families in Iloilo City officially became landowners Wednesday after receiving nearly P50 million in housing assistance from the national government.

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling and Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) president Federico Laxa led the awarding ceremony in Jaro.

The 367 beneficiary families, members of the Mirasol Village Homeowners’ Association, received a check for P46.5 million for land acquisition and a supplemental grant of P2.6 million.

The residents, located in Barangay Dungon C in the Mandurriao District, also received Certificates of Lot Award. The documents confirm their legal right to the property where their homes are currently built, effectively ending the threat of eviction.

The assistance was provided under the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP), a streamlined version of the SHFC’s flagship program launched last July as part of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s “Pambansang Pabahay” initiative.

“The journey may have been difficult, but Secretary Aliling and I are bringing good news because your wait to own this land is finally over,” Laxa told the residents.

April Rose Segumalian, president of the homeowners’ association, said the government intervention provides long-sought stability for the community. She noted that before the program, residents lived in constant fear that the private landowners could force them to leave at any time.

Iloilo Lone District Representative Julienne Baronda, who joined the ceremony, credited the success of the project to coordinated efforts between local and national government agencies.

The Mirasol Village project is one of the first 36 sites approved under the ECMP. Similar land acquisition checks and grants have recently been awarded to communities in Pasig City and Valenzuela City as the administration ramps up its urban housing efforts.