On January 7, 2010, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo awarded a calamity loan check of P31, 093.53 to Ruth Batitis of Sta. Rosa, Laguna. This brings the total amount of calamity loans to P12 billion, the biggest disbursement in Pag-IBIG’s 29-year history.

Pag-IBIG Fund calamity loans reach ₱12 Billion

On January 7, 2010, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo awarded a calamity loan check for ₱31,093.53 to Ruth Batitis of Sta. Rosa, Laguna, bringing the total amount of Home Development Mutual Fund (Pag-IBIG) calamity loans to a monumental ₱12 billion.

This is the highest disbursement in the agency’s 29-year history, making Pag-IBIG Fund the biggest calamity loan provider in the country.

The loans have served over 700,000 Pag-IBIG members affected by typhoons Ondoy and Pepeng. To be eligible for a loan, a member must have made at least 24 monthly contributions, must be actively paying contributions at the time he/she applies for a loan, and must be a resident of an officially declared calamity-stricken area.

Ruth, 39, is a mother of four who shares that they lost almost everything during Ondoy last November.

“Noong bagyo, akala namin ordinaryong ulan lang siya… ‘yun pala ‘yung baha ay grabe na.”

She says that although what they lost were only material things, it was a huge financial setback for them. She was not sure she could afford all four kids’ tuition fees on top of the high home repair costs.

“Ito po talagang calamity loan na binigay po ni Ma’am Gloria ay talaga pong malaki ang tulong… (at nakuha po namin ito) sa ₱100 lang na monthly contribution sa Pag-IBIG.”

Aside from calamity loans, Pag-IBIG also launched the Home Repair and Rehabilitation Loan which provides up to ₱150,000 to its typhoon-affected members, payable within five years at eight percent interest per annum.

The awarding took place at the National Housing Authority’s Southville 7 relocation site in Brgy. Dayap, Calauan, Laguna. Also in attendance was Vice President and Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees Chairman Noli de Castro. In the same event, the President signed Republic Act 9903 condoning penalties on delinquent remittances of premium contributions to the Social Security System (SSS). -PNA

“Ito pong calamity loan na binigay po ni Ma’am Gloria ay talaga pong malaki ang tulong… Sana po ay ipagpatuloy ni Madam Gloria ang lahat-lahat ng mabubuting bagay na binibigay niya sa mamamayang Pilipino.”

RUTH BATITIS
Pag-IBIG Fund Calamity Loan Beneficiary

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