Fifty-one families in Tanauan City, Batangas, have secured full ownership of the land they occupy after receiving transfer certificates of title (TCTs) from the Social Housing Finance Corporation Corp. (SHFC), a key agency under the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD).
The awarding ceremony, held at the SHFC’s head office in Makati on Oct. 8, 2025, recognized member-beneficiaries of the Kaisahan Village Homeowners’ Association Inc. The titles were distributed under the Community Mortgage Program (CMP), the SHFC’s flagship initiative that helps low-income families gain ownership of their land.
The CMP is a core component of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.
SHFC president and chief executive Federico Laxa said the milestone reaffirms the agency’s commitment to empowering communities.
“This event signifies not only the transfer of land titles but also the fulfillment of our promise to uplift the lives of Filipino families through secure and affordable housing,” Laxa said during the ceremony.
“Through the help of the CMP, you are now attaining real happiness and peace of mind. This is one of the happiest milestones in your lives and this is what most people don’t realize, that title is your wealth, we call it economic empowerment,” he told the beneficiaries.
The awarding coincides with National Shelter Month.
Tanauan Mayor Nelson Collantes, through City Housing and Resettlements Office officer-in-charge Euleterio Borja, congratulated the awardees, saying the land titles symbolize “security, assurance and hope.”
One of the awardees, 75-year-old Estelita Seduco, tearfully shared her emotions after finally receiving her land title after years of waiting. “I thought, before this was awarded, it was just nothing to me. I said, maybe this is real, not just a dream,” Seduco said in Filipino.
“I’m so happy because I invested blood and sweat here. Even if they say it’s a small amount, it’s not a small amount to me—it’s a huge amount to me. It’s priceless,” she said.
Kaisahan Village, located in Barangay Bagumbayan, has 849 member-beneficiaries and has been part of the CMP since May 1989.
The SHFC is also rolling out the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP), a revitalized initiative to help legally organized associations of low-income groups acquire and develop land under community ownership. The DHSUD implements the 4PH program under Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling.
