Overseas Filipino workers (OFW) were the buena manos of the first houses built under the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) housing program of the Marcos administration.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos handed the symbolic keys to five recipients of the 4PH homes during the “Pamaskong Handog para sa OFWs” event held at the Heroes Hall in Malacañang on 17 December.
The president hailed the OFWs for being the “best in the world when it comes to talent, intelligence, and skill.”
The OFWs who received the symbolic keys for their units were Jeramie Leyno, Madeleine Anne Mallare, Ramon Mabiog, Fatima Tolentino and Rogelio Crisostomo.
Leyno is a painter in Japan, while Mallare Mabiog, Tolentino and Crisostomo were returning OFWs from Saudi Arabia, Japan, Singapore and Libya, respectively.
The five applied for 4PH housing units at the Palayan City Township Project. Their application have already been processed and endorsed by the Palayan City government, and vetted by the Department of Migrant Workers as required in the 4PH guidelines. They were subsequently approved by Pag-IBIG Fund.
The five OFWs have also checked the actual site of the housing project in Barangay Atate.
As 4PH beneficiaries, the OFWs are entitled to interest support extended by the national government in their monthly amortization.
“This is the contribution of DHSUD to the goals of our dear President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and First Lady Liza Araneta-Marcos to provide all support to our hero OFWs and their families so they can realize their dream of owning a decent and safe house,” Acuzar said in a press statement on 18 December.
“This is just a small thing compared to the sacrifices of our OFWs for our country. They continue to serve as the strong foundation of the national economy.”
The turnover marks the first ever units delivered under the flagship 4PH Program since its launching in 2022, and a result of the Joint Memorandum Circular 2024-01 entered into by DHSUD and DMW last October.
“This is just the beginning. We aim to have more OFWs benefit from the 4PH in return for their heroism,” Acuzar added.
Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar and other key government officials witnessed the ceremony.
During the “Pamaskong Handog para sa OFWs,” OFWs were also given cash assistance worth P10,000 through the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s (OWWA) livelihood program.
Some 500 OFW beneficiaries were provided grocery packs courtesy of the OWWA, the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation and the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office.
Among the recipients of the grocery packs was Mary Ann Angeles Villacencio, the daughter of a welder who worked in Iraq, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.
According to Villacencio, the grocery packs included a variety of canned goods, instant coffee, ready-to-eat meals, and other holiday essentials such as pasta.
The OFWs were also treated to a feast of Christmas delicacies that included bibingka and puto bumbong.
“I am really grateful that we get to be a part of this celebration,” Villacencio said.