By Lane Afable, News Editor
Beneficiaries of the Palayan City Township Project in Nueva Ecija, under President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, said the low monthly rates have brought new hope to families of rising out of poverty.
More families have settled into the development in Barangay Atate, with four residential buildings under Phase 1 already completed and 198 family beneficiaries now residing in the growing community.
With the lowest monthly rates so far, beneficiaries can now afford to amortize and stop draining their finances by renting, allot more to education and health. They also noted the security and dignity of living within the modern township.
Donna Ramos, a 39-year-old fish trader, shared how the program has changed their living conditions after years of uncertainty.
“Ito po kasing pagkakapunta namin dito is malaki siyang impact sa amin dahil kasi ‘yung dati namin tirahan hindi naman sa amin ‘yung lupa. Pero ito kasi, masasabi namin sa amin na (When we came here, it had a big impact on us because the land where we used to live was not ours. But this land now is ours),” she shared.
Vincent Geronimo, a 26-year-old medical technologist, said the program has made homeownership more attainable for ordinary Filipinos.
“Big help po siya para ‘yung mga … normal Filipinos, hindi ganoong kabigat magkaroon ng own place mo na tatawagin mong home (It’s a big help so that for normal Filipinos, it’s not that hard to have your own home),” he said.
For Elsa Evangelista, a 28-year-old public school teacher, the housing program represents both stability and peace of mind.
“Sobrang malaking bagay, lalo na kung minimum wage earner ka, hindi ka kasi nakakaipon Dito, habang maliit ang bayad mo, magkakaroon ka ng sarili mong bahay (It’s a big deal, especially if you’re a minimum wage earner because you don’t save. Here, even while your salary is small, you’ll have your own house),” Evangelista said.
“Maraming salamat po unang-una, syempre, na napagbibigyan kami na katulad namin na mga mahihirap na makapagsimula na bumangon at magkaroon ng alam mo yung matatawag sa’yo at peace kasi nandun ka sa sarili mong lugar sa bahay. Maraming maraming salamat po rin kay Pangulo (Thank you very much, first of all, of course, for allowing us, the poor like us, to feel peace because you are in your own place at home. Thank you very much, too, to the President),” she added.
Meanwhile, Charushin Tolentino, a 38-year-old government employee, highlighted how the program enabled her family to stay together while providing affordable housing.
“Malaking bagay po na tulong ni President BBM to kasi po, una, sa bayad po na makakaya mo po na malaking tulong kasi nagkasama-sama kaming pamilya, na nakasama ko ‘yung parents ko. Ang gusto ko kasi makasama ko ‘yung mama ko (This is a big help from President BBM because, first, you can afford the cost, which is a big help because our family is together, I was able to be with my parents. What I want is to be with my mom),” Tolentino said.
On Thursday, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling visited Palayan City Township Project to check on its progress and the situation of the beneficiaries.
Aliling underscored that the Palayan City Township Project reflects the administration’s commitment to provide not just shelter, but dignified living and opportunities for a better life.
“Dahil sa dekalidad, disente, mas ligtas at abot-kayang pabahay na handog ni Pangulong Marcos Jr. sa ilalim ng Expanded 4PH, nagkakaroon ng dignidad, seguridad at inspirasyon ang ating mga benepisyaryo upang maging mas produktibong mamamayan (Because of the quality, decent, safer and affordable housing offered by President Marcos Jr. under the Expanded 4PH, our beneficiaries have dignity, security and inspiration to become more productive citizens),” Aliling said.
“Ang tunay na layunin ng Expanded 4PH ay hindi lamang makapagpatayo ng bahay, kundi makapagbigay ng pagkakataon sa bawat pamilyang Pilipino na mamuhay nang may dangal at bagong pag-asa. Ang Palayan Township ay patunay na unti-unti na natin natutupad ang pangarap na ito para sa ating mga kababayan (The true goal of Expanded 4PH is not just to build a house, but to provide every Filipino family with the opportunity to live with dignity, and new hope. Palayan Township is proof that we are gradually realizing this dream for our countrymen),” he added.
Expected to be completed by 2028, the Palayan City Township Project stands as one of the key developments under the Expanded 4PH Program, which aims to deliver inclusive, resilient, and sustainable communities for Filipino families across the country.
The DHSUD spearheads the nationwide implementation of the Expanded 4PH, which covers all socialized housing projects nationwide.
