SHFC Community Mortgage Program Success: 133 Families Finally Become Landowners in Antipolo
After nearly 38 years of waiting, 133 Filipino families have finally secured legal ownership of the land they call home, marking a major milestone in the government’s Community Mortgage Program (CMP) in Antipolo City.
The families, members of the Sitio Sto. Niño de Pasig Homeowners Association, Inc., were formally handed Transfer Certificates of Title (TCTs) during a ceremony in Barangay Sta. Cruz, Rizal, on June 25, ending a decades-long struggle that began after their displacement from Pasig City.
Decades-long struggle ends in land ownership
The beneficiaries were originally from Pasig City and were relocated to Antipolo after their former homes were demolished. Since then, they have lived on the land they now officially own, rebuilding their lives over the course of nearly four decades.
Through the SHFC Community Mortgage Program (CMP), the group was able to secure financing in 1999, paving the way toward eventual land tenure. The program forms part of the government’s broader Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) initiative under President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
During the awarding ceremony, officials from the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) led the distribution of titles, formally transferring ownership of the land to the families.
SHFC President and CEO Federico Laxa acknowledged the long journey endured by the beneficiaries.
“I know what each of you went through. I know the sacrifices and perseverance you made in order to achieve your most desired and long-awaited titles to the land where your homes stand,” he said.
A milestone for government housing efforts
DHSUD Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling, along with Rizal Governor Nina Ricci Ynares-Chiongbian, attended the ceremony and highlighted the importance of secure homeownership for Filipino families.
Governor Ynares-Chiongbian said the land titles represent more than legal ownership, stressing that they provide long-term security for both the beneficiaries and their families.
HOA President Salvacion Iliw-Iliw also expressed gratitude on behalf of the community, reflecting on the nearly four-decade struggle to achieve homeownership.
“Almost 38 years of struggle and hardship, this is it (what we have been waiting for). First of all, many thanks to SHFC, to DHSUD, and to our provincial governor who helped make each person’s dream come true,” she said.
The Sitio Sto. Niño de Pasig Homeowners Association is composed of 186 members, with the 133 beneficiaries forming the latest group to receive titles under the CMP.
The milestone underscores the continuing implementation of government housing programs aimed at strengthening land tenure security and providing long-term housing solutions for informal settler families across the country.
