The Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) has turned over land titles to three government employees in Baguio City and Benguet, moving forward with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive to expand affordable homeownership under the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program. Led by GSIS president and general manager Wick Veloso, the ceremony granted Transfer Certificates of Title to Imelda Cristeta D. Villamar of PhilHealth Cordillera, Aurora T. Valbuena of the Baguio Municipal Trial Court in Cities, and Lorna A. Bandonill of the GSIS Baguio Branch Office.
Veloso noted that each title represents a family that can now plan ahead with confidence and enjoy the security of owning their own home. The initiative falls under the GSIS Pabahay scheme, which includes the Lease with Option to Buy (LWOB) program that removes the need for an upfront down payment. Qualified members may lease GSIS-acquired properties first before purchasing them, with repayment terms stretching up to 25 years and interest rates lower than standard commercial bank offers. Eligible members who keep up with their obligations also have related penalties waived.
Explaining the program’s design, Veloso said the down payment requirement has long been the biggest hurdle stopping many workers from buying a home, and this scheme directly addresses that barrier. So far, the LWOB program has helped over 5,000 families across the country become full homeowners. GSIS has also opened more than 12,000 assets for purchase nationwide, including 22 in the Cordillera region—17 in Baguio City, two each in Itogon and La Trinidad, and one in Tuba, Benguet. The latest turnover marks another step in turning the administration’s housing goals into real, tangible benefits for public servants and their families.
