More than 8,100 low-income Filipino families are moving closer to secure homeownership as the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), through the Social Housing Finance Corp’s Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP), approved 47 projects nationwide during its first year.

The initiative extended over P870.6 million in land acquisition loans, supporting President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program by helping organized communities gain legal ownership of the land they have long occupied.

Introduced as a key modality under the expanded 4PH Program in 2025, the ECMP aims to fast-track security of tenure for low-income and informal settler families.

DHSUD and SHFC have also accelerated the release of land acquisition assistance, with 25 homeowners’ associations already receiving funding that enabled more than 4,000 beneficiaries to complete the purchase of their properties.

DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling said the program reflects President Marcos’ directive to make homeownership more accessible to Filipino families.

“President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive is clear: to make the dream of owning a home within reach of every Filipino family. Through the Expanded 4PH Program, we are providing security of tenure, dignity in living, and the assurance that the homes they have built will truly become their own,” Aliling said.

Steps toward land ownership

He added that every approved ECMP project brings more communities closer to permanent land ownership while supporting the government’s goal of building safer, more inclusive and sustainable communities.

“Every ECMP project we approve represents a new opportunity for thousands of Filipino families. We will continue expanding the implementation of ECMP together with SHFC so that more communities can achieve security of tenure and experience a safe, decent, and dignified way of living,” he said.

Among the latest approved projects are four homeowners’ associations in Palawan, Camarines Norte and Isabela, further expanding the reach of the government’s flagship housing program.

DHSUD and SHFC said they will continue rolling out the ECMP and other Expanded 4PH modalities to help more Filipino families achieve secure, affordable and permanent homeownership.