BACOOR CITY, Cavite – More than 360 families living along the banks of the Zapote River in Bacoor City, Cavite have received new and improved housing units under the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program of the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.

The 4PH Program, which was launched in September 2022, aims to provide decent and affordable housing to millions of Filipinos, especially those residing in danger-prone areas such as waterways, esteros, and shorelines. The program also supports the Supreme Court Mandamus on Manila Bay, which ordered 13 government agencies to clean up, rehabilitate, and preserve the bay and its tributaries.

The beneficiaries of the 4PH Program in Bacoor City were among the informal settler families (ISFs) who were affected by the Mandamus Program, which required them to vacate their dwellings along the Zapote River, one of the major river systems that discharge water into Manila Bay.

The Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), the lead implementing agency of the 4PH Program, partnered with the local government unit of Bacoor City and the National Housing Authority (NHA) to relocate the ISFs to a 4.2-hectare resettlement site in Barangay Molino III, where they were given low-cost housing units with basic amenities such as water, electricity, and sanitation.

DHSUD Secretary Eduardo Del Rosario, who led the turnover ceremony on Friday, said that the 4PH Program is not only about providing shelter, but also about improving the quality of life of the beneficiaries.

“More than providing safer and more resilient homes, the 4PH Program has provided Filipino families living in danger-prone areas a new hope for a more stable future,” Del Rosario said. “We are not only addressing the housing backlog, but also contributing to the environmental protection and rehabilitation of Manila Bay and its tributaries.”

Del Rosario also thanked President Marcos for his “unwavering support and commitment” to the 4PH Program, which he declared as a flagship program of the government through Executive Order No. 34. He also lauded the cooperation and collaboration of the other Mandamus agencies, the LGUs, and the private sector in the implementation of the program.

Bacoor City Mayor Strike Revilla, who also attended the turnover ceremony, expressed her gratitude to the national government for choosing Bacoor City as one of the pilot areas of the 4PH Program. She said that the program has helped address the perennial problem of flooding and pollution in the city, as well as uplifted the lives of the former ISFs.

“We are very thankful to President Marcos, Secretary Del Rosario, and the other Mandamus agencies for bringing the 4PH Program to Bacoor City. This is a great blessing to our constituents who have been living in substandard and hazardous conditions for a long time,” Revilla said. “Now, they have decent and dignified homes where they can live peacefully and comfortably.”

Mercado-Revilla also urged the beneficiaries to take good care of their new homes and to abide by the rules and regulations of the resettlement site. She also encouraged them to participate in the community development activities and livelihood programs that the city government and the DHSUD will provide.

The 4PH Program in Bacoor City is part of the first phase of the Manila Bay Rehabilitation Program, which covers the cleanup and water quality improvement of the bay and its waterways. The second phase involves the rehabilitation and resettlement of the remaining ISFs, while the third phase focuses on the education and sustainment of the program’s gains.

According to the DHSUD, the 4PH Program targets to build 6.15 million housing units nationwide by 2028, with the vision of having zero informal settlers in the country.