By Pearl Gumapos
The Pagtutulungan sa Kinabukasan: Ikaw, Bangko, Industriya at Gobyerno (Pag-IBIG) Fund this year saw an increase in members which is corollary to the increase in loans that the agency has given out this year so far.
“This year 2021, things are looking good po for Pag-IBIG Fund. Nakikita po namin that we are on the road to recovery,” Pag-IBIG Fund spokesperson Kalin Franco-Garcia said in the Laging Handa public briefing on Saturday (Aug. 21).
“Noong end of 2020 wala pa po iyong number ng active membership namin. So, ibig sabihin kumonti po tayo iyong tao na nagbabayad, na naghuhulog Pag-IBIG Fund. Pero, ngayon pong January to June 2021 umakyat po ito from 12 million noong end of 2020 naging 13 million,” she said.
The increase in members, Garcia said, indicates that the country is recovering economically.
“Parang on the mend na po si Pag-IBIG Fund ‘no. We are recovering, we think, from the effects of the pandemic,” she added.
From January to June, the Pag-IBIG Fund has loaned around P44 billion for housing loans and has helped more than 43,000 members.
As for cash loans, the agency has released P21 billion and has helped almost 1 million members of the Pag-IBIG Fund.
“Ngayong din June of 2021, naka-13 billion na po kami na pagkolekta sa mga hulog na iyan. That is a 113% increase compared to 2020. Lalo po kaming natutuwa sa Pag-IBIG Fund dahil po voluntary ito. So, ito po ay proof na nagtitiwala pa rin ang ating taong bayan sa Pag-IBIG fund,” Garcia said.
Meanwhile, the Pag-IBIG Fund has a loan program “in the works.”
“Ang tawag po doon ay HEAL – Home Equity Appreciation Loan. So titingnan po namin ngayon ang halaga ng inyong bahay. Ima-minus po namin iyong outstanding balance ninyo sa Pag-IBIG Fund tapos iyong net value po ng bahay pwede ninyo ulit utangin sa Pag-IBIG Fund. So it’s an additional loan for our housing loan borrowers,” Garcia explained. -rir
