SHFC Chief: Naga Families Can Finally Sleep Soundly at Night

Hundreds of families in Naga City can now go to bed without fear of being pushed off the land they live on. More than P65.8 million in government cheques has secured their tenure, according to the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC).

SHFC President and Chief Executive Officer Federico Laxa and Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo handed over the funds on 18 August in Barangay Pacol. The recipients were Mabolo Village Homeowners’ Association Phases 1 and 2 and Saint Joseph Homeowners Association.

A total of 420 families stand to benefit from the awarding, SHFC said. Assistant Secretary Johnson Domingo attended on behalf of Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling.

The ceremony was one of the highlights of Jesse Robredo Day, a special working holiday in Naga. The city marks the date in honour of the late Interior Secretary and city mayor.

ECMP Keeps Naga Families Onsite

Laxa said the awarding builds on SHFC’s push to widen access to secure tenure among low-income communities. ‘Simula ngayon, makakatulog na nang mahimbing ang ating mga kababayan,’ he said. ‘Magkakaroon na sila ng kapanatagan at hindi na sila mangangamba na mapaalis pa sa kanilang lupain.’

Robredo thanked DHSUD and SHFC for their continued assistance to her constituents. She called the Community Mortgage Program (CMP) ‘life-changing’, pointing to the fact that families are not uprooted. ‘The best ang CMP kasi onsite. Hindi na sila mamomroblemang ilipat sila,’ she said.

Mabolo Village Phase 1 President Rowena Bañas and Phase 2 President Marissa Ramirez described the assistance as an ‘answered prayer’. Both expressed their gratitude during the ceremony.

Saint Joseph HOAI President Nilo Villaflor said the help could not have come at a better time. His community had been facing the threat of eviction before being enlisted under the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP).

Naga ECMP Beneficiaries Top 800

The latest release brings the number of ECMP beneficiaries in Naga City to more than 800 families, SHFC said. Combined loan assistance in the city has reached around P92 million.

SHFC awarded cheques to two other ECMP communities in Naga in June. The back-to-back releases point to sustained support for Nagueños seeking secure and affordable housing.

Launched last year, the ECMP is SHFC’s streamlined take on the 38-year-old CMP. It was designed to make housing assistance more responsive, accessible and transformative for organised low-income communities.

SHFC said 47 ECMP projects have been approved to date. These have benefited more than 8,000 families across the country.

The programme sits under President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program. SHFC said the Naga milestone reflects Aliling’s push to make government housing more responsive to communities, in line with the President’s directive to bring services closer to the people.