President Marcos has called on beneficiaries of his government's flagship housing program, the Pilipino Housing Program (4PH), to use the units they received to improve their lives, declaring that nothing will stop them from building houses for Filipinos.

Marcos said this as he led the groundbreaking and awarding ceremonies of the National Housing Authority's (NHA) Ciudad Kaunlaran Phase II project in Bacoor, Cavite, on Friday morning, Jan. 12.

In his speech, the President said that with the help of the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development (DHSUD), the government's housing program will continue.

"Sa tulong at pakikipag-ugnayan ng DHSUD sa pangnguna ni Secretary Jerry Acuzar, ito ay tuloy-tuloy at hindi namin titigilan," he said.

Marcos said the event was a testament to his promise of improving the lives of Filipinos.

"Ang ating pagdalo sa mahahalagang okasyon tulad nito ay sumisimbolo ng aking pangako sa sambayanan na maiangat ang antas ng pamumuhay ng bawat Filipino sa pamamagitan ng bagong bahay tungo sa bagong buhay (My attendance at these important events symbolizes my vow to the people to improve the quality of every Filipinos' life through new houses towards a new life)," he said.

The President urged beneficiaries of the housing project to use the units given to them to improve their lives.

"Tinatawagan ko po ang lahat ng mga benepisaryo na gamitin ang biyayang ito upang mapaunlad ang inyong mga buhay at matiyak ang magandang kinabukasan para sa inyo at para sa mga pamilya ninyo (I call on all the beneficiaries to use this blessing to improve your lives and ensure a bright future for you and your families)," Marcos said.

"Sigurado po ako na ang Ciudad Kaunlaran at iba pang mga proyektong pabahay ng pamahalaan ay magiging daan natin tungo sa Bagong Pilipinas na karapatdapat para sa lahat ng ating mamamayan (I am sure that the Ciudad Kaunlaran and other housing projects of the government will pave the way to a New Philippines that is rightful for all Filipinos)," he added.

The groundbreaking of Ciudad Kaunlaran Phase II marks the start of the construction of two five-story low-rise buildings, set to generate 120 housing units in total. An additional five-story building with 60 more units in the same location will soon be constructed.

For Phase I, 360 families are awarded units and will occupy six buildings. Once completed, Phase I will compose nine five-story buildings totaling 540 housing units.

These resettlement projects in Barangay Molino II form part of the relocation sites identified for informal settler families (ISFs) affected by the Supreme Court (SC) Mandamus to Clean-Up the Manila Bay Area. "These demonstrate the collaboration between the NHA and the Bacoor City Government in fulfilling the 'Building Better and More Housing' agenda anchored in the Administration's initiative to address the nation's housing backlog," Malacañang said.

Under the 4PH housing program, the government aims to build 1 million houses a year.