DEPARTMENT of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Jose Ramon “Ping” P. Aliling has been named the recipient of the prestigious Bayani ng Urban Poor Award 2026.
Conferred by the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor (PCUP), the award recognizes Secretary Aliling’s outstanding leadership in expanding access to safe, decent, and affordable housing, and securing land tenure for marginalized communities across the country.
The formal conferment will take place this August, coinciding with National Heroes Month and the first anniversary of the ALPAS Komunidad Project.
Under the leadership of PCUP Chairperson and CEO Undersecretary Michelle Anne B. Gonzales, the commission lauded DHSUD’s vital contributions to the ALPAS Komunidad Framework.
According to PCUP Policy Brief No. 2, the Housing Pillar achieved the highest accomplishment rate among the framework’s five strategic pillars.
In 2025 alone, the initiative achieved a 60.63% success rate, directly benefiting approximately 910,440 urban poor families nationwide.
PCUP credited this success to DHSUD’s accelerated processing of Certificates of Eligibility for Presidential Proclamations, alongside the aggressive expansion of the Community Mortgage Program (CMP) and the Enhanced Community Mortgage Program (ECMP).
These initiatives form the bedrock of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program.
To date, 45 ECMP sites have been established nationwide, including areas protected under Presidential Proclamations.
PCUP emphasized that the recognition reflects the “whole-of-nation” approach embodied by the ALPAS Komunidad Project, bridging government action and grassroots needs to build a more inclusive and resilient future.
Looking ahead, PCUP and DHSUD are strengthening their collaboration with the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and various Civil Society Organizations (CSOs).
The inter-agency network is currently fast-tracking the awarding of major Presidential Proclamation sites—including BASECO and Parola in Manila, and the Tala Estate in Camarin, Caloocan City—to grant thousands more families secure tenure and improved living conditions.
