PCSO to deploy landing craft vessel to improve patient mobility in Batanes

by Info @Brand Zone | March 30, 2025

Basco, Batanes – In line with President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.’s directive to make healthcare accessible for everyone, the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office (PCSO) has announced its plan to provide a landing craft vessel (LCV) for Batanes to improve patient transport across the province’s island municipalities, with deployment scheduled later this year.

PCSO General Manager Melquiades “Mel” Robles described the LCV as a “mini RORO” that allows ambulances to be loaded directly onto the vessel.

The LCV is intended to support patient mobility, enabling the transport of patients, responders, and essential medical supplies between islands such as Sabtang and Basco. Designed to directly access shorelines, it will allow patients to be transferred more efficiently to healthcare facilities, particularly in emergency situations.

“This means the patient can remain inside the ambulance from the point of transport until arrival at the hospital, without the need for repeated transfers,” he said.

“Direkta natin silang madadala sa pinakamalapit na pagamutan—isang tunay na door-to-door na serbisyong medikal,” he added.

Robles said the initiative aims to address mobility challenges in geographically isolated areas, where access to healthcare is often affected by sea conditions and limited transport options.

The LCV is set to be deployed to provinces with island municipalities later this year, including Batanes, as part of efforts to strengthen inter-island healthcare access.

The initiative will complement PCSO’s existing support through the provision of patient transport vehicles to local government units, which serve communities on land but are limited in reaching areas separated by water.

The need for improved patient transport was underscored during a medical and dental mission conducted on March 26 and 27 in Sabtang and Basco, where PCSO delivered consultations, free medicines, and diagnostic services to hundreds of beneficiaries across the province.

The mission also highlighted the use of modern medical technology, including a portable, AI-powered X-ray system that enabled on-site screening for tuberculosis and other chest-related conditions. While such innovations bring faster diagnosis closer to remote communities, the need for reliable transport remains critical to ensure patients requiring further evaluation can access appropriate healthcare facilities.

Batanes, with a population of approximately 18,000, is composed of 6 municipalities and 29 barangays, with communities separated by sea, making access to timely healthcare a continuing challenge.

Local officials welcomed the initiative, noting that improved inter-island transport is crucial in ensuring timely medical care for residents of remote communities.

The deployment of the LCV forms part of efforts to strengthen healthcare access in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDAs).

Pag-IBIG Fund to maintain 3% socialized housing rate under Expanded 4PH amid Middle East conflict

by Info @Brand Zone | March 30, 2026

Pag-IBIG Fund said it shall maintain its 3% annual interest rate for qualified socialized housing loans under the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program, keeping homeownership affordable at a time when the conflict in the Middle East continues to unsettle global oil markets and drive volatility in oil prices.

The move supports President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s direction to keep decent and affordable housing within reach of Filipino workers, especially those from the low and moderate income sectors seeking to achieve homeownership.

“In keeping with the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Pag-IBIG Fund shall maintain the 3% interest rate for qualified socialized housing loans under the Expanded 4PH so that more Filipino workers can continue to pursue homeownership even during a time of global uncertainty,” said Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Ramon P. Aliling, who chairs the Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees. “By keeping monthly amortizations low, we are helping more working families secure a home of their own while supporting sustained housing production and the jobs it generates, in step with broader national efforts to keep the economy stable.”

Under the program, first-time homebuyers, particularly those earning less than ₱47,856 per month in the National Capital Region and less than ₱34,686 outside NCR, may qualify for the subsidized 3% rate for the first five years of the loan term. All overseas Filipino workers, regardless of income, may also qualify. Separately, under Pag-IBIG Fund’s Early Bird Promo, the first 30,000 qualified borrowers may enjoy the same 3% rate for the first 10 years of their housing loan, allowing them to save more and benefit from affordable and predictable monthly amortizations for a longer period.

The loan may be used to purchase socialized house-and-lot and condominium units priced at up to ₱950,000 and ₱1.8 million, respectively. It also provides up to ₱100,000 in additional financing for home improvements, such as utility connections and home fixtures, and carries a 100% loan-to-value ratio, meaning no cash equity is required. At these terms, monthly amortization is about ₱4,005 for a house-and-lot unit worth up to ₱950,000 and about ₱7,589 for a condominium unit worth up to ₱1.8 million, amounts that are lower than the cost of monthly rent. In addition, eligible borrowers may further benefit from additional subsidy provided by the national government, which may bring down the annual interest rate to as low as 1% and make monthly payments even lower.

Meanwhile, Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Marilene C. Acosta said maintaining the 3% rate reflects Pag-IBIG Fund’s strong fiscal standing and its continuing commitment to carry out President Marcos’ housing agenda in a way that keeps homeownership within reach of working Filipino families.

“We continue to heed the direction of President Marcos in helping uplift the lives of Filipino workers by keeping homeownership affordable for those who need it most,” Acosta said. “Our strong fiscal standing allows Pag-IBIG Fund to keep the subsidized 3% rate in place so more working Filipinos can continue pursuing homeownership under the Expanded 4PH.”

Acosta added that, beyond keeping loan rates low, Pag-IBIG Fund is also making it easier and less costly for members to look for a home through regional housing fairs that bring together quality housing units available for sale, partner developers, and Pag-IBIG Fund financing support in one venue. Earlier this year, Pag-IBIG Fund launched its series of regional housing fairs through the Central Luzon Housing Fair. It is set to hold similar fairs in South Luzon, the Visayas, Mindanao, and the National Capital Region in the coming weeks. The Central Luzon fair gathered over 40 developers, financing institutions, and government agencies in one venue and provided on-site assistance for loan applications.

“Through these regional housing fairs, we are making it easier and less costly for members to find a home by bringing quality housing units available for sale, partner developers, and Pag-IBIG Fund financing together in one place,” Acosta said. “That is how Pag-IBIG Fund will continue providing more Filipino families with practical pathways to homeownership, turning affordable financing into real opportunities to own a home.”

Pag-IBIG Fund’s capacity to sustain this support is backed by its record housing loan performance in 2025, when it released ₱140.54 billion in housing loans benefiting 90,727 Filipino workers and their families, reflecting both the strength of its finances and its continued ability to help more members achieve homeownership.

SSS: Loan moratorium, penalty condonation, pinag-aaralan na

ni Madel Moratillo @News | March 30, 2025

Photo: File / SSS

Pinag-aaralan na ng Social Security System (SSS) na magpatupad ng loan moratorium sa mga miyembro nito habang condonation program naman sa employers.

Ito ay bilang bahagi ng kanilang relief measures sa gitna ng oil crisis at epekto nito.

Ayon kay SSS President Robert Joseph de Claro, nauunawaan nila ang kasalukuyang sitwasyon at hirap na nararanasan ng mga miyembro nila at employers.

“We are expediting internal reviews and consultations with stakeholders to roll out these support initiatives as swiftly as possible, while safeguarding the long-term sustainability of the SSS fund,” pahayag ni De Claro.

Pinag-aaralan rin aniya ng SSS ang mga opsyon para palawakin ang deadline sa pagbabayad ng kontribusyon.

“The SSS is also actively pursuing digital initiatives to simplify administrative and implementation processes to reduce compliance burden and ensure the timely delivery of relief measures and services,” pahayag pa ng opisyal.

Sa oras na maisapinal, iaanunsyo na lang umano ng SSS ang napagkasunduan.