A home to keep: Naga families find security through ECMP under PBBM’s 4PH

By Ana-liza S. Macatangay

For years, families in several communities across Naga City lived with the uncertainty of losing the land they called home, never knowing if one day, the ground where it stands will no longer be theirs.

However, that fear for many is slowly giving way to a sense of security as the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP) reaches their communities.

The ECMP, an initiative of the Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC) under the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., aims to expand organized communities’ access to secure homeownership by helping them acquire the land they occupy.

For Rowena Bañas, president of the Mabolo Village Homeowners’ Association Inc., the program means more than simply acquiring land. It gives families a sense of security that can extend to the generations that will come after them.

“Ang bawat miyembro ng asosasyon ay may kaniya-kaniyang pamilya, so mas marami ang nakinabang at natulungan ng programang ito,” Bañas said, adding that their association has 258 members.

(Every member of the association has a family of their own, so many people will benefit from the program.)

“Malaking tulong ang SHFC na magkaroon ng katiwasayan. Hindi lang ngayon, ‘yung bukas pa na darating at sa susunod pang mga henerasyon. May katiwasayan at alam natin na ito ay sa amin na,” she added.

(SHFC has been a great help in giving us peace of mind—not only today, but also for the future and for the generations to come. We now have security knowing this is ours.)

The long-awaited sense of security became more tangible on August 18, when the SHFC and the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) awarded P65.8 million in loan assistance to three community organizations in Naga City.

The assistance will benefit 420 families—125 from Mabolo Village Phase 1, 162 from Mabolo Village Phase 2, and 133 from the Saint Joseph Homeowners Association Inc. The loan will help the communities acquire the land where their homes have stood for years, giving families a greater sense of security and a stronger stake in the communities they call home.

Held in Barangay Pacol, the awarding ceremony was led by SHFC President and CEO Federico Laxa and Naga City Mayor Leni Robredo as part of the city’s observance of the 14th Jesse Robredo Day.