Pag-IBIG Fund Launches Pag-IBIG Service Desk in Canada

 Pag-IBIG Fund President and Chief Executive Officer Atty. Darlene Marie B. Berberabe met with the Filipino community (FilCom) leaders, members of the Filipino business community, and representatives from the local media in Vancouver and Toronto to present the programs and services of Pag-IBIG Fund, and to launch the Pag-IBIG Fund Members Services Desk in Canada.

 The said briefings were arranged by the respective Philippine Consulate Generals in the said cities where there is a concentration of Filipino workers and permanent residents. There are about 700 thousand Filipinos in Canada consisting of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs), permanent residents and immigrants. Worldwide, Canada ranks 6th among countries with Filipinos in terms of Pag-IBIG housing loan availments. "With the sizeable number of Filipinos in Canada and their strong demand in Pag-IBIG housing loans, we deemed it opportune to open a Pag-IBIG service desk in Canada so we can provide better access for our members," Atty. Berberabe said.

 Atty. Berberabe also paid a courtesy call on Consul General Neil Frank Ferrer of the Philippine Consulate in Vancouver, and Consul Shirley Banquicio of the Philippine Consulate in Toronto, to present the program for overseas Filipinos. "We are honored to be here with you and excited as well to share with you the products and services that the Fund offers to Pag-IBIG members all over the world," said Atty. Berberabe.

 She said that the total number of Pag-IBIG members as of December 2015 already reached 15.9 million, 30% of which or around 4.4 million are OFWs. The Pag-IBIG President also explained that the reforms implemented by the Fund in the last five years made possible the doubling of benefits, including doubling of loanable amount from P3 Million to P6 Million, and reducing interest rate by half from 11.5% to now 5.5% per annum.

Pag-IBIG is currently one of the best performing Government-Owned and Controlled Corporations in the Philippines with P398 Billion total assets and a net income of P20.52 Billion in 2015. In the same year, Pag-IBIG declared P14.24 Billion in dividends, which will be proportionately credited to the accounts of Pag-IBIG members at a dividend rate of 4.8% – significantly higher than the interest rates of other savings products. "With Pag-IBIG's robust financial standing and transparent fiscal management, you can be assured that your savings with Pag-IBIG is secure and grows faster.

OFWs are mandatorily covered by Pag-IBIG while Filipino immigrants and permanent residents are welcome to become voluntary members," Atty. Berberabe added. She also said that Pag-IBIG offers online services to provide convenience to payment transactions with the Fund. Pag-IBIG's website is capable of processing online membership registration and can accept payments for membership dues using MasterCard and Visa credit cards.

Tracking of a member's savings is also possible via the site's online verification system for membership savings. Atty. Berberabe also met with Mr. Evan Siddall, President of the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC).

 In the said meeting arranged by the Philippine Embassy in Ottawa, Mr. Siddall and Atty. Berberabe exchanged best practices in their respective institutions to address the concern of providing affordable housing to its members. The Members Services Desk will be set up in Toronto. Overseas Filipinos may now avail of the Pag-IBIG services and benefits by getting in touch with our Information Officer Ms. Elizabeth Borres at (647) 642-3694 or poptoronto@pagibigfund.gov.ph

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more