VP NOLI AWARDS LOTS TO BATANGAS POOR FOLKS
June 11, 2008

Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) chairman Noli ‘Kabayan’ De Castro awarded certificates of lot allotment (CELA) to more than 1,000 family-beneficiaries under the asset reform program of the government in Lipa, Batangas recently (June 4).

Welcomed by Governor Vilma Santos-Recto, Congressman Mark Leandro Mendoza and Mayor Oscar Gozos, De Castro also distributed CELAs to beneficiaries of the community mortgage program or CMP.

CELAs are certificates to prove that the families have been awarded with government lots that they have been occupying for a very long time.

Family beneficiciaries are to pay for these lots at very low amortizations and very comfortable terms after they have completed requirements. They are given titles after completing payment.

De Castro said thousands have already benefited from the asset reform program where idle government properties are awarded to informal settlers that oocupy. Likewise, many have been sheltered through the CMP where government purchases private properties occupied by informal settlers.

These programs, he said, are part of the relentless of the national and local governments to address the housing needs of poor Filipinos.

“The government is continuously providing shelter security and affordable housing to many homeless Filipino families,” he said.

Barangays benefiting from the housing projets included Marawoy, Pangao, Banay-Banay, Inosluban, Balintawak, Sico, San Carlos and Tambo.

Last year, De Castro visited Batangas City and awarded lots to railway residents of barangay Mataas na Lupa and Bugtong.

Meanwhile, De Castro urged Filipinos to support the good projects of the government such as those implemented by Pag-Ibig in housing. De Castro said housing loans of Pag-Ibig went up by 40 percent in 2007 compared to the previous year. This, he said, indicated that their advertising campaign was successful in inviting more members to avail of the agency’s low interest rates.

“What Pag-Ibig spent for advertising will also generate income through the interests on housing loans. The more the borrowers, the more income Pag-Ibig will earn so that it can serve more members. This means more shelter security to Filipinos which is the prime mandate of Pag-Ibig,” he added.

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