In a significant milestone for Bacolod City, the first batch of beneficiaries under the Pambansang Pabahay Para Sa Pilipino (4PH) Program received their keys to new homes at the Asenso Yuhum Residences in Barangay Vista Alegre. The event, held on January 25, 2025, marked the initial distribution of housing units under the Marcos administration’s flagship housing initiative.
The recipients, who are part of Building 1, had applied for homeownership through the Pag-IBIG Fund. A total of 296 buyer-beneficiaries have been approved, each receiving units of at least 24 square meters. With government subsidies, younger homeowners can start with a monthly amortization as low as PHP2,194.84 without equity.
Emmanuel Villaera, president of the Building 1 Homeowners Association, expressed his joy at achieving homeownership at 57 after years of renting to support his family’s needs. Similarly, Gerome and Marjorie Panday, in their early 30s, celebrated their new home after being displaced from their previous residence. Their small food business will help them manage the monthly payments.
Call center agents Edman Baladhay and Merry Christ, along with workmates Sisa Fegidero and Rossana Villacasten, also transitioned from renters to homeowners. Fegidero, a single mother, was particularly excited about finally having her own home at 34, while Villacasten and her husband look forward to starting a family in their new space.
Bacolod City was the first to sign an agreement with the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development in 2023 to implement the 4PH Program. The city government partnered with WRS Holdings Inc. and Scheirman Construction Consolidated Inc. for the project’s development. Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, alongside Jacqueline Constantino from Pag-IBIG Fund, handed over symbolic keys to the first 46 beneficiaries at the project’s clubhouse, emphasizing the city’s vision for all Bacolodnons to have a home.