119 QC families finally get titles

For 119 families in Quezon City, National Shelter Month opened with something more meaningful than ribbons and speeches — a piece of paper that gives them secure ownership of the land they have called home for decades.

The member-beneficiaries of Alyansa ng mga Samahan sa Sitio Mendez Baesa Inc. in Sitio Mendez, Barangay Baesa, were recognized Monday as recipients of individual transfer certificates of title (TCTs) under the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program.

Ten beneficiary representatives received the titles during the ceremony at the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Central Office, marking a milestone for a community whose struggle for secure land tenure began decades ago.

Residents first occupied the area in the late 1970s and began organizing their homeowners association in the late 1980s. With assistance from the Quezon City government and other stakeholders, the housing project was successfully taken out in 1992.

The awarding formed part of the opening of National Shelter Month (NSM) 2026, led by DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling and highlighted by housing awards under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.

The National Housing Authority (NHA) also awarded housing certificates to 10 beneficiaries — five from Navotaas Homes 3 and five from Disiplina Village-Arkong Bato.

Aliling said the celebration should focus not simply on houses but on the lives and communities that government shelter programs seek to improve.

“As we celebrate this year’s National Shelter Month, let us remember that our mission goes beyond providing roofs over people’s heads. It is about building dignified lives through safe, decent, and affordable shelters; creating communities where families can thrive; and laying the foundation for a better future for generations to come,” Aliling said.

The NSM opening ceremony began with a ribbon-cutting at the DHSUD Central Office, attended by officials of the department and its attached agencies.

The NSM booths and exhibits will run from 5 to 8 October, featuring housing programs, financing options, homeownership assistance and other shelter-related services.

This year’s celebration carries the theme “Tahanan. Pamayanan. Kinabukasan.”

Quezon City Rep. Marivic Garcia Co-Pilar, the keynote speaker, also provided assistance to the Baesa association in support of its community development initiatives and organizational needs.

The DHSUD and its attached agencies will conduct activities throughout October to promote housing opportunities, improve public access to shelter services and highlight the continuing implementation of the Expanded 4PH Program.

For the families who received their titles Monday, however, the significance of National Shelter Month was much more personal: after decades of waiting, the place they call home now comes with proof of ownership.