After years of waiting for housing security, 160 beneficiaries of the GMA Ville Lot 110 Housing Project in Barangay Carreta, Cebu City, moved a step closer to land ownership after receiving Certificates of Entitlement during a ceremony at Cebu City Hall last Thursday, October 22.
The certificates formally recognize the beneficiaries’ rights under the government’s housing program and identify them as qualified occupants who may eventually obtain ownership of the lot they occupy, subject to compliance with housing program requirements.
The awarding ceremony was led by Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling and attended by Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival.
“Salamat kaayo and hinaot pa unta we could have more documents of titles to come in the near future,” Archival said.
Also present were DHSUD Region-7 Director Mark Anthony Lindugan, National Housing Authority (NHA) Region-7 Officer-in-Charge Regional Manager Dante Estrobo, Department of Welfare for the Urban Poor (DWUP) Head Marie Joan Loreto, and Cebu City Local Housing Board Chairman Atty. Irish Dwight Remedio.
The initiative was undertaken through the DHSUD, NHA and Cebu City Government, with the DWUP facilitating local coordination for the housing beneficiaries.
Officials described the distribution of certificates as a significant milestone for the families, many of whom have long sought security of tenure over the properties they occupy.
Archival congratulated the beneficiaries and reminded them that the documents carry both opportunities and responsibilities as they work toward securing ownership of their lots.
For beneficiary Daisy Tañajura, the awarding represented more than a document.
“Ang kalampusan nagdala og dakong kalipay ug paglaum sa mga benepisyaryo tungod kay kini usa ka importanteng lakang padulong sa mas sigurado nga mga pamuyo ug mas maayong kaugmaon alang sa tagsa-tagsa ka pamilya,” she said via the city’s PIO.
A Certificate of Entitlement is not yet a land title. Rather, it serves as proof that a family has been recognized as a qualified beneficiary of a government housing program and is entitled to pursue eventual ownership under the terms and conditions of the project, as additional requirements must still be met before titles can be issued, housing officials described the award as a step toward, rather than the completion of, the ownership process.
The awarding forms part of the government’s continuing efforts to provide secure tenure to low-income families and informal settler households through socialized housing programs.