Pag-IBIG Fund granted socialized home loans to 5,074 members from the minimum-wage and low-income sectors totaling P2.2 billion in the first three months of 2021 despite the continuing pandemic, according to the top executives of the agency.

Socialized home loans make up about 25% of the 20,712 total number of loans financed by the agency in the first quarter of 2021. The amount, meanwhile, is equivalent to 11% of the P20.94 billion it disbursed.

Amid the health crisis, the number of socialized home loans granted grew by 25% from the 4,045 loans extended during the same period last year, while the amount increased by 34%.

“In the wake of the pandemic, Pag-IBIG Fund’s Affordable Housing Program (AHP)has become the means for minimum-wage and other low-income workers to achieve their dream of homeownership,” said Secretary Eduardo D. del Rosario, Chairperson of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) and the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees.

“The program’s lowest rates and longest term allow them to make buying a home within their reach. Offering affordable home financing to our members is our way of adhering to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte’s directive to government institutions to provide programs that serve the needs of the underserved sector, especially during these challenging times,” del Rosario added.

With Pag-IBIG Fund’s AHP, members can borrow up to P580,000 to buy socialized house and lot packages, or up to P750,000 for socialized condominium units at a special rate of 3% per annum.

The AHP is specifically made for members earning not more than P15,000 per month within the National Capital Region, and not more than P12,000 per month for members outside of NCR, who intend to buy socialized housing units.

This loan program also features a 100% loan-to-value ratio allowing borrowers to purchase homes without spending for equity.

Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Acmad Rizaldy P. Moti said the agency has been offering the special 3% rate under the AHP since May 2017 and has kept the subsidized rate since, thanks to Pag-IBIG Fund’s tax-exempt status provided under Republic Act No. 9679.

“Because of our Charter, Pag-IBIG Fund can afford to offer the lowest rates for home loans of minimum and low-wage workers. And, with President Duterte recently signing into law the CREATE bill, the tax-exempt status of Pag-IBIG Fund has been maintained. What this means to our members from the minimum-wage and low-income sectors is that they can continue to enjoy these lowest rates,” Moti said.

“To put things into perspective, with our Affordable Housing Program, qualified borrowers will only pay around P2,445 per month for a home loan worth P580,000 – which is almost equivalent to the price of rent. This low amortization allows more of our members to gain homeownership, as we recognize that the home is the safest place to be during these difficult times. We look forward to helping more low-income members become homeowners in the months to come,” he added. (PR)

Pag-IBIG Fund released P20.94 billion in home in the first quarter of 2021 despite the pandemic, an increase of 33% o4 P5.17 billion compared to the P15.77 billion released during the same period in 2020, its top officials announced  on April 13.

“We are happy to report that our home loan release in the first three months of 2021 have increased compared to the same period last year. This increase in our home loan release mean that more Filipino workers are being helped by Pag-IBIG Fund to secure their own homes, which is very important at this time of pandemic. We recognize the role we play in helping keep our members safe in their own homes, as we heed President Rodrigo Duterte’s call for government agencies to provide social benefits to more Filipinos, especially during these challenging times,” said Secretary Eduardo D. del Rosario, who heads the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees.

Del Rosario added that the P20.94 billion in home loans during the first quarter of the year enabled 20,712 members to acquire their own homes. Out of the total amount, P2.2 billion were released as socialized home loans for the benefit of 5,074 Pag-IBIG Fund members belonging to the minimum-wage and low-income sectors.

Meanwhile, Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Office Acmad Rizaldy P. Moti noted that even if measured against the period prior to the implementation of community quarantines, there was still an increase in home loans. The agency released P15.49 billion in home loans from January 1 to March 15 this year, an increase of P546.97 million or 3.7% from the P14.94 billion released in the same period in 2020 when strict community quarantines in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon were yet to be implemented. He further expressed optimism that the numbers will continue to rise, especially as the economy continues to reopen.

“From September to December last year, our home loan released were close to ‘pre-pandemic’ levels. We released more than P6 billion to P7 billion in home loans every month during those months, with December loan releases reaching P12 billion – the highest amount released for a single month in Pag-IBIG Fund’s history. We are glad that our momentum in the last quarter of 2020 carried over to first quarter of 2021, despite the challenges caused by the pandemic. In fact, home loan releases in the first quarter of 2019, which eventually turned out as our best year ever when annual home loan releases amounted to P86.7 billion. We anticipate that our momentum will continue in the succeeding quarters, barring any major catastrophic event, so we help more members become homeowners.” Moti said. (PR)