For more than two decades, 100 families in Barangay Ibabang Iyam, Lucena City lived with uncertainty on the land they had long called home.

On Tuesday, that uncertainty gave way to security as President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. personally handed over to them Certificates of Entitlement (CoE) recognizing their right to acquire the residential lots they have occupied for years under the government’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.

Joined by Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling, Marcos awarded the certificates to beneficiaries covered by Presidential Proclamation No. 436, signed in 2003, which reserved 17.6 hectares in Barangay Ibabang Iyam for government facilities, housing for government employees, and the city’s urban poor.

For many recipients, the certificates represented more than a legal document — they marked the end of a 23-year wait for secure land tenure.

“The issuance of these Certificates of Entitlement assures our beneficiaries that the process of securing land titles can now move much faster because they already hold proof of their entitlement,” Marcos said.

“I am pleased that under our administration we were able to fulfill this Presidential Proclamation and ensure that our fellow Filipinos who have long needed titles to their land will finally receive them through these Certificates of Entitlement,” he added.

The latest batch follows the turnover of 185 CoEs in March last year, bringing the total number of beneficiaries under the proclamation to 285. The government aims to award certificates to more than 1,000 beneficiaries in Lucena, with the remaining distributions targeted for completion next year in coordination with the local government.

The Lucena turnover forms part of the Marcos administration’s effort to accelerate the implementation of long-pending presidential proclamations through the Expanded 4PH Program, which seeks to provide not only new housing but also security of tenure for long-time occupants.

Nationwide, 684 families have so far received either Certificates of Entitlement or Certificates of Lot Award under revived presidential proclamations. These include beneficiaries in Los Baños, Laguna; Narra, Palawan; Jaro, Iloilo City; and Lucena City.

Aliling said the initiative reflects the administration’s commitment to expanding housing interventions by giving more Filipino families legal ownership of the land they have occupied for years.

“Under the administration of President Marcos Jr., we are advancing the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program. Our direction is clear — we are not only building new housing projects but also expanding security of tenure for families who have waited for years under various Presidential Proclamations,” Aliling said.