Office of the Vice President : Press Release

Refer to: Ms. Dale Zapata
83321148/8334507

52 homeless families acquire shelter thru CMP
LAS PINAS GOV’T LAUDS VP NOLI’S HOUSING PROGRAM
24 September 2005

THE Las Pinas local government yesterday lauded the shelter program being spearheaded by Vice-President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) concurrent chairman Noli ‘Kabayan’ De Castro as 52 poor families of the city acquired their own house and lot through the Community Mortgage Program (CMP) of the government.

Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council concurrent chairman Noli" Kabayan" De Castro presents a check to landowner Emma Rose Dy, representing full payment for the loan of Samahang Pagkakaisa Sa Abot-Kaya HOA (SAMAKA) PH2. The loan is extended to community associations under the Community Mortgage Program of National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC). Present were (from left): Rep. Cynthia Villar; Las Pinas Mayor Imelda Aguilar; NHMFC OIC/ Exec. Vice Pres. Atty. Fermin Arzaga. (OVP photo by Egay Montana)

Las Pinas congresswoman Cynthia Villar said the city is ‘forever grateful’ to De Castro for his relentless pursuit of the national housing thrust which has already sheltered thousands of homeless Filipinos including informal families from Las Piñas.

More than 10,000 poor families in Las Pinas City already benefited from the socialized housing program of HUDCC, most of which are CMP beneficiaries, according to local officials.

Yesterday morning in Baranggay Talon 5, three landowners received checks representing full payment by the community association of the property, which they have been occupying. The community association contracted the loan from the National Home Mortgage Finance Corporation (NHMFC), a key shelter agency under HUDCC, under the CMP. In turn, the community association will pay the loan to NHMFC for thirty (30) years at 6% interest rate.

With the purchase, the 52 families automatically became beneficiaries of CMP, which is currently being implemented by NHMFC.

“I am very thankful to Vice-President Noli De Castro for taking his time to visit a small baranggay like Talon 5 in Las Pinas. Our city would always be grateful to him for helping us in sheltering our poor constituents,” Villar said.

In response, De Castro said the job of providing houses to the homeless would always be easy as long as there are very cooperative local governments like Las Pinas which is more than willing to lend a helping hand.

“The success of the national housing program lies on the local government. I am glad that Las Pinas is one with the government in its goal to provide houses for our poor countrymen,” he said.

Aside from Villar, the event was also attended by other local executives including Las Pinas Mayor Imelda Aguilar and members of the city council.