After nearly four decades of waiting, members of the Sitio Sto. Niño de Pasig Homeowners Association Inc. in Antipolo City finally own the land they call home through President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s flagship Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) program.

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling and Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) president Federico Laxa, joined by Rizal Gov. Nina Ricci Ynares-Chiongbian, awarded individual Transfer Certificates of Title (TCTs) to 133 families on Thursday, completing the legal ownership process that benefits around 460 individuals under the Expanded 4PH’s Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP).

Dressed in their fine Filipinana, the beneficiaries, now mostly senior citizens, waved their TCTs during the simple awarding ceremony at the Barangay Sta. Cruz covered court.

Aliling said the title distribution reflected the Marcos administration’s commitment to ensuring that Filipino families gain not only access to housing but also to the security of land tenure.

“Under the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. we are working to ensure that every Filipino family has the opportunity to own not only a house but also the land they occupy. These land titles represent dignity, stability, and a more secure future that can now be passed on to the next generation,” Aliling said.

The beneficiaries were families originally from Pasig City who were relocated to Antipolo City following the demolition of their homes. Through a Community Mortgage Program loan granted in 1999, the association acquired the property on which they established their community.

For HOA president Salvacion Iliw-lliw, the awarding of the land titles marked the fulfillment of a dream as she reflected on their community’s journey to secure land ownership over almost 38 years.

“At first, there was fear and uncertainty because, of course, job security — or what we call security of tenure — was what mattered most to us. But all of us stood together. We never gave up. We persevered because we wanted to have land of our own,” she said.

She expressed gratitude to the national government for helping their community finally secure the property after decades and encouraged other homeowner associations to remain steadfast.

“We are overjoyed. We can hardly put into words how happy we are — not just me, but the entire community of Sitio Sto. Niño de Pasig. This is a wonderful program for low income families like us because all of our amortization payments are affordable,” she said.

The awarding of titles is part of the government’s continuing efforts under the Expanded 4PH Program to strengthen land tenure security and provide lasting housing solutions for organized communities across the country.

Joining Aliling were DHSUD Senior Undersecretary Eduardo Robles Jr., head of the Expanded 4PH-Project Management Office, along with other DHSUD and SHFC officials.