In 2008, the Galing Pook Award was bestowed to Las Piñas City for the innovative move to improve the living conditions of its informal settlers. For the record, there are already 30,000 families who benefitted from the Land and Shelter for the Homeless Program of the city since its inception in 1995.
The recipient families were awarded land titles and decent housing, so they can live in an environment conducive for their holistic development. Relevant livelihood program were initiated for them to be independent economically and become future entrepreneurs.
Prior to the program, most women in the communities are simply housewives with no income of their own. After attending livelihood training (being part of the urban development program) like reflexology, food processing, stuffed toy making, etc., they were able to get jobs and contribute to the daily expenses of their families. Women and housewives became self-reliant and empowered proving that being poor is not an impediment to realize their dreams.
The urban poor renewal and development program thrives because of the continuous improvement of the infrastructure like construction of new roads, drainage system, water supply, construction of school building, health centers and day care centers. The homeowners have a strong support system courtesy of the city government which help them upgrade their quality of life in the communities.