Pag-ibig Fund Calamity Loan

Photo by: Ed Umbao

Photo by: jmacabulos1 via instagram

Olongapo City was declared in a state of calamity after 12 hours of continuous rains, the flood was declared the highest in the history of the city.  16 out of the 17 Barangays was flooeded, only the mountanous Barangay of Gordon Heights (where I reside) was spared. The damages was estimated to be more than P2.1B as declared by our City Mayor Rolen Paulino. The estimated damage includes residential, business, infrastructure, private and government facilities.

Photo by garypunolive via instagram

If your are a member of Pag-Ibig Fund, you can apply a CALAMITY LOAN being the City was declared in a State of Calamity. 

You can file the calamity loan within a period of 90 days from the declaration of a state of calamity or 90 days from September 23, 2013. 

Photo by: Natashya Gutierrez

Here some facts and application loan process with the applicable forms and requirements: 

1. Who are eligible? The calamity loan program is open to any Pag-IBIG member who:
1. has made at least 24 monthly contributions (whether continuous or broken);
2. is an active member [i.e., has made at least 5 contributions in the last 6 months as of month prior to the date of loan application]; and
3. resides in an area which is declared by the Office of the President or the Sanggunian concerned as under a state of calamity
4. If the member has an existing Housing Loan, Multi-Purpose Loan (MPL) and/or Calamity Loan, the account must not be in default as of the date of the loan application.

2. How much can one loan? Up to 80% of the eligible member’s total accumulated value (TAV, equivalent to member’s contri. plus employer’s contri. plus earned dividends).
   The current interest rate is 5.95% per annum. 
3. What is the payment period? The loan is amortized over a period of 24 months, with a grace period of 3 months, i.e., the eligible member has a 3-month reprieve and only starts paying on the 4th month.
4. Can one still loan if he/she has an outstanding MPL/calamity loan? Yes, but the outstanding MPL balance shall be deducted from the 80% of TAV. For example, if a member has a TAV of P10,000, the maximum loanable amount is P8,000. If the member has an outstanding MPL of P5,000, the member can only avail of calamity loan worth P3,000.
   If, in addition to an outstanding MPL, the member also has an outstanding calamity loan in the amount of P2,000, in the example above, the member is still granted a new calamity loan of P3,000 but will only receive P1,000 because the P2,000 will pay off the existing calamity loan balance. This means that at any given time, a member can have both MPL and calamity loan, but only one calamity loan.
5. Until when can an eligible member avail of the loan? Within a period of 90 days from the declaration of a state of calamity. 

BASIC REQUIREMENTS:

1. Calamity Loan Form 2. Two (2) valid IDs 3. Barangay Certificate or any form of identification that the member is a resident of the area declared under state of calamity

Additional Requirements for Calamity Loan

For formally-employed members - Declaration of Being Affected by Calamity (FLS006), very helpful if you are not filing in Olongapo City or Zambales. For farmers, including landlords, fisher folks and livestock farmers, - Certification from the Municipal Agricultural Office (MAO) that their products were damaged/killed due to the calamity. For business owners/market vendors, - Certification from the Market Vendors Association or certification from the Municipal Mayor (if not member of the association) attesting that he is engaged in the selling of farm products, vegetable, meat or fish and that his source of livelihood was affected by the calamity. For Pag-IBIG Members or any of his immediate family members afflicted by diseases such as diarrhea, cholera, skin diseases, paralytic shellfish poisoning (red tide bloom), heat cramps, heat exhaustion, heat stroke, chickenpox, measles and hypertension, - A Medical Certificate from the Doctor stating that such disease/illness is brought by the onset of calamity.

CALAMITY LOAN PROCEDURE
STEP 1	Go to the Pag-IBIG NCR/Regional Branch where your contributions are being remitted. Proceed to the Provident Benefits Division (PBD) servicing counter.	Person Responsible Loans and Credit Evaluator II
____________________________________________________________________
STEP 2	Submit duly accomplished MPLAF/CLAF together with supporting documents, if applicable. Note: You will be informed if you are not qualified to avail of a loan. Get STL Acknowledgement Receipt (SAR). Note:The date of release of loan proceeds shall be indicated in the SAR.
____________________________________________________________________
STEP 3	On scheduled date, get loan proceeds If thru Check releasing, present SAR and 2 valid IDs to Cash and Administrative Services Division (CASD). If thru the Landbank’s PACSVAL/Cash Card releasing, verify and withdraw at any Landbank branch or accredited bank.	Check Release Controller ATM

Sources:
http://www.interaksyon.com/article/71289/olongapo-reels-from-worst-flooding-ever
http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2013/09/29/flood-damage-olongapo-hits-p21b-305867

http://www.pagibigfund.gov.ph

International Coastal CleanUp

 International Coastal Cleanup 2013 - All SET on September 21 

ICC Zambales

Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Cleanup (ICC) is the world's largest volunteer effort for ocean's health. Held every third Saturday of September of each year , thousands of volunteers from around the globe participate, clearing tons of trash from coastlines, rivers and lakes and recording every piece of trash collected. In 2012 ICC, 561,633 volunteers from 98 countries and locations picked up more than 10 million pounds of marine debris and covered 17,719 miles of beaches, waterways and underwater areas.  Over the the past 25 years, nearly 9 million volunteers from 152 countries and locations have shown their enduring alliance for a trash free seas.  

Objectives:

• To engage people to remove trash and debris from beaches, waterways and other water bodies
• To identify the sources of debris
• To change behaviors that cause pollution
• To raise awareness on the extent of the marine debris problem 
• To aid in better-informed policy decisions and improved solid waste management programs

What makes the ICC unique, aside from the simultaneous and coordinated global execution is the emphasis on organized scientific data collection. Volunteers are requested, not only to pick up litter but also to identify and record the rubbish in a standardized data card. The debris information generated is encoded into a database for analysis by pollution specialists who are racing against time to develop solutions to the marine debris problem. 

Marine debris is one of the world's pervasive problem which imparts a variety of serious impacts: loss of water quality, destruction of marine habitats, entanglement or ingestion of marine debris by birds, turtles and mammals, loss of revenue in tourism; poses health risks, and impairs ships and boats. It is also one of the causes of major flooding in the metropolis during heavy rains for it clogs the drainage system and impedes the flow in rivers and waterways. 

Official Tarp of the ICC 2013

In Subic Bay and Olongapo, The Lighthouse Marina resort together with the International Yachting Fellowship of Rotarians are the forerunner of this great endeavor. 

Their goal is to is to make residents of Olongapo, Subic and Zambales aware of the problems as well as the solution in dealing with our ocean, river and waterway trash/debris.

How to Join for Individual or Small Group:

• Register at our website using the  SIGNUP TO CLEANUP FORM
• Contact ICC Philippines by email to signify your interest in joining this year's ICC
• Browse our website and links for information and presentations
• Orient yourself with the mechanics of the cleanup particularly on data recording and making proper estimates (see "ICC Handbook and "Guide to Marine Debris" at the Download page)
• Select your cleanup site. Designated cleanup sites for Metro Manila are posted in the website. For  a local cleanup site, ask your Provincial/City Environmental offices (PENRO/CENRO), local government, any civic action group and academic institutions who will be participating in the ICC
• No registration fee. Just come on ICC Day with your net bag or sack, rubber gloves, ball pen and data card

This event is an annual activity that we can take part and a good learning experience for our children. 

Check the site for the ICC Philippines website for the Clean Up Site nearest YOU..  

Bring along your family and friends and take part on this great activity for Mother Earth.. SEE YOU.. :) 

Click here to sign up (it’s FREE)

Ref: ICC Philippines      
         ICC Zambales