Residents of Palawan have started benefiting from the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) program following the awarding of certificates of entitlement (COEs) to beneficiaries on Friday.

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling led the awarding of COEs to the first batch of beneficiaries from the municipality of Narra as covered under Presidential Proclamation 574 signed in 2004 and President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive.

About 2,000 families in Palawan province will benefit from the housing program under the proclamation to "ensure a more dignified life and security to the land occupied by the beneficiaries."

“Umpisa pa lamang po ito, marami pang pamilyang Palawanos ang makikinabang sa patuloy na pagsusulong natin ng (This is only the beginning and many more Palawan families will benefit as we continue to push forward the) Expanded 4PH,” he said.

Following his assumption in May, Aliling recalibrated the 4PH program and expanded its scope to include the awarding of residential lots under long-standing presidential proclamations covering lands declared suitable for housing nationwide.

The DHSUD said it would sustain the momentum of the nationwide rollout of the Expanded 4PH program to benefit more Filipino families through various housing modalities under the flagship initiative.

Earlier, the DHSUD warded COEs to beneficiaries in Los Baños, Laguna.