Senator Roxas seeks two-year PAG-IBIG fund moratorium

To help alleviate the plight of workers during the economic slowdown, Liberal Party President Senator Mar Roxas has sought a two-year moratorium on the mandatory contribution of all workers to the Pag-Ibig fund.

"Sa panahong mahigpit ang bulsa ng mga konsyumer natin, bigyan natin sila ng pagkakataong pumili kung gusto nilang ipagpatuloy ang pagbabayad sa Pag-Ibig o kung gagamitin muna nila ito para punan ang mga pangangailangan nila (At this time that household budgets are constrained, let's give our consumers the choice to continue contributing to Pag-Ibig or to use their contributions to make ends meet)," he stressed.

"Mahalaga ang pabahay. Pero nakikita rin nating mahalagang maitawid ang mga kababayan natin mula sa gutom. Bigyan natin sila ng pagkakataong pumili (Housing is important, but we also see how important it is to help our people cope with hunger. Let's give them the power to choose)," he said.

In filing Senate Bill No. 3127 Roxas said that salaries of workers remain the same or even less, while the global financial meltdown continues its onslaught on the local economy. While the mandatory monthly Pag-Ibig contribution serves the long-term goal of housing for all, "every peso counts when it comes to each family's survival."

SB 3127 proposes a two year freeze in the collection of the monthly Pag-Ibig fund contributions of workers both in the public and private sector, subject to exceptions such as those who would voluntarily want to be covered and those who have outstanding Pag-Ibig loans.

Pag-Ibig fund contributions are mandatory in character. It was established through Presidential Decree No. 1752, or the Home Development Mutual Fund Law of 1980 and intended to motivate employed and other earning groups to better plan and provide for their housing needs. It has a total of 7.27 million members as of September 2008.

Tuesday, March 17, 2009 | posted in financial crisis, mar roxas, pag-ibig, president | 0 comments [ More ]

Roxas asks gov't agencies to speed up processing of benefits

Senator Mar Roxas has written the Home Development Mutual Fund (PAG-IBIG) and Government Service Insurance System (GSIS), asking both agencies to provide immediate assistance to their members who suffered enormous losses due to typhoon "Frank"

"Our government must now speed up the processing of the necessary documents so that the thousands of typhoon victims who have lost their homes, property and loved ones can receive some relief to help them rebuild their lives," said Roxas, a former representative of Capiz, which was among the provinces in the Western Visayas region that were ravaged by the storm.

He commended PAG-IBIG, which, in a reply to Roxas' office, has already committed to providing P1.5 billion worth of calamity loans for victims in Aklan, Antique, Capiz and Iloilo.

"I thank PAG-IBIG President Miro Quimbo for his responsiveness to my call for expeditious assistance to the typhoon victims. This will go a long way in helping them, and I hope other government offices follow suit," he said, adding that he will also seek the assistance of the Social Security System (SSS).

In the letter to the Senator, Quimbo said he has instructed the PAG-IBIG branches to accept and expedite processing of calamity loans in the Western Visayas provinces.

Roxas, Liberal Party President, called on the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI), Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (PhilHealth), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), Department of Education (DepEd) and Department of Health (DoH) to provide on-site assistance and coordinate directly with those affected by the typhoon.

The Senator has paid multiple visits to the stricken areas, coordinating relief and rehabilitation efforts, and providing people with basic needs such as food, water and medicines. Several donors from the private sector have also responded to the senator's call for relief goods such as candles, sardines, juice drinks, noodles and bottled water to help the victims.

"The destruction and mounting number of casualties because of typhoon 'Frank' is heartbreaking. We all need to pitch in and help to give rays of hope to those affected by the storm and floods," he said.

Latest reports have pegged the death toll nationwide from "Frank" at 498, of which 416 were from Western Visayas. With regards to the sinking of the M/V Princess of the Stars, there have been 124 found dead, 62 survivors, and over 600 more still missing.

The total number of displaced people has been pegged at 2.4 million people, or about 2.7% of the country's population, with 1.4 million of these from Western Visayas. 487,412 families nationwide were displaced, and damages have been estimated at P5.5 billion. P2 billion of this accrues from damage to farm lands and infrastructure in Western Visayas.

Sunday, June 29, 2008 | posted in deped, doh, dswd, gsis, mar roxas, nbi, pag-ibig, philhealth, philippines, typhoon frank, visayas | 0 comments [ More ]