  Based on $(4.48 \pm 0.03) \times 10^{8}$ $\psi(3686)$ events collected with
the BESIII detector, five $h_c$ hadronic decays are searched for via process
$\psi(3686) \to \pi^0 h_c$. Three of them, $h_c \to p \bar{p} \pi^+ \pi^-$,
$\pi^+ \pi^- \pi^0$, and $2(\pi^+ \pi^-) \pi^0$ are observed for the first
time, with statistical significances of 7.4$\sigma$, $4.9\sigma$, and
9.1$\sigma$, and branching fractions of $(2.89\pm0.32\pm0.55)\times10^{-3}$,
$(1.60\pm0.40\pm0.32)\times10^{-3}$, and $(7.44\pm0.94\pm1.56)\times10^{-3}$,
respectively, where the first uncertainties are statistical and the second
systematic. No significant signal is observed for the other two decay modes,
and the corresponding upper limits of the branching fractions are determined to
be $B(h_c \to 3(\pi^+ \pi^-) \pi^0)<8.7\times10^{-3}$ and $B(h_c \to K^+ K^-
\pi^+ \pi^-)<5.8\times10^{-4}$ at 90% confidence level.
