Apektado ng gulo sa Middle East... OFW, puwede nang i-withdraw ang ipon sa Pag-IBIG

ni Mylene Alfonso @News | April 7, 2026

Photo: Bongbong Marcos / FB

Inaprubahan ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. ang “special benefits package” na magpapahintulot sa mga umuuwing overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) mula sa Middle East na makapag-withdraw agad ng kanilang ipon mula sa kanilang Home Development Mutual Fund o Pag-IBIG Fund bilang pagkilala sa kanilang sakripisyo.

Sinabi ni Palace Press Officer Undersecretary Claire Castro na sa ilalim ng specialty package ng Pag-IBIG maaari nang ma-access ng mga kwalipikadong OFW ang kanilang Pag-IBIG savings kung kakailanganin.

“Ibig sabihin ay puwede nang i-withdraw ng mga qualified beneficiaries ang 100 percent ng kanilang regular savings kasama ang employee share, employer share at dividends earned kahit hindi pa sila umabot sa 20-year maturity,” pahayag ni Castro sa Palace briefing.

“Maaari na rin nilang i-withdraw ang aabot sa 100 percent ng kanilang modified Pag-IBIG 2 o mas kilala sa tawag na MP2 Savings kasama na ang kinitang interes bago pa man ang five-year maturity nito,” aniya.

“Puwede ring mag-avail ang mga nasabing OFW ng three-month moratorium sa kanilang Pag-IBIG housing payments na walang dagdag na interes o penalty, ie-extend na lamang ang loan term ng tatlong buwan, walang dagdag na babayaran,” saad pa ni Castro.

Nabatid na ang bagong package ay tutulong sa mga OFW na tumatakas mula sa sigalot sa pagitan ng puwersa ng US-Israeli at Iranian upang makapagsimulang muli sa

Pilipinas.

Ayon naman kay Human Settlements and Urban Development’s Secretary Jose Aliling, napapanahon ang benefits package na ito upang makabangon ang ating mga bayaning OFW na lubos na naapektuhan ng tensyon sa Gitnang Silangan.

Pag-IBIG Fund approves benefits package for repatriated OFWs under PBBM directive

by Info @Brand Zone | April 6, 2026

File / DMW

In adherence to the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to provide timely and meaningful assistance to overseas Filipino workers affected by the conflict in the Middle East, Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development Secretary Jose Ramon P. Aliling, who also chairs the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees, announced the approval of a special Pag-IBIG Fund benefits package for repatriated OFWs, allowing them to access their savings and receive temporary relief on housing loan payments as they recover and rebuild their lives back home.

Under the approved benefits package, qualified OFW members may apply to withdraw up to 100% of their Pag-IBIG Regular Savings, including their employee share, employer share, and dividends earned, even before its 20-year maturity; withdraw up to 100% of their Modified Pag-IBIG II or MP2 Savings, inclusive of returns earned, even before its 5-year maturity; or avail of a 3-month moratorium on Pag-IBIG Housing Loan payments, free from interest and penalties, with the loan term extended by three months.

The package forms part of Pag-IBIG Fund’s response to the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to provide timely and meaningful assistance to OFWs affected by the conflict in the Middle East.

“In adherence to the directive of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., Pag-IBIG Fund stands ready to extend practical and immediate assistance to our OFWs affected by the situation in the Middle East,” Aliling said. “Through this benefits package, qualified members may access their Pag-IBIG savings and receive temporary relief on housing loan payments, giving them more room to provide for their families and meet urgent needs during this difficult time.”

As of February 2026, Pag-IBIG Fund has 891,427 registered OFW members in the Middle East, including 86,234 MP2 savers and 40,024 housing loan borrowers, with the largest numbers in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait. These approved relief measures are intended to help affected members meet urgent family and household expenses through early access to their savings, while also giving qualified housing loan borrowers breathing room from monthly payments as they recover and begin rebuilding their lives in the Philippines.

Meanwhile, Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Marilene C. Acosta said Pag-IBIG Fund is ready to deliver the approved financial assistance package in a manner that is prompt, accessible, and responsive to the needs of affected OFW members, in support of the government’s broader assistance and reintegration efforts for them.

“We recognize that for this assistance to be truly responsive, it must be made available to qualified members in a manner that is fast, clear, and accessible,” Acosta said. “That is why we will make applications for these benefits available online through Virtual Pag-IBIG, while also ensuring that our more than 200 branches, OFW Centers, and service offices are ready to assist members and their families. In doing so, Pag-IBIG Fund also supports the assistance and reintegration efforts being carried out by the Department of Migrant Workers and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration for affected OFWs. Our goal is to make sure that qualified OFW members can turn to Pag-IBIG Fund for immediate and practical support as they recover.”

Pag-IBIG Fund said members may access its services from Monday to Friday in office-based branches and from Tuesday to Saturday in mall-based branches, as well as through its digital service channel, Virtual Pag-IBIG, even as it supports the government’s energy conservation measures.

Seguridad ng OFWs sa Middle East, dapat unahin

ni Leonida Sison @Boses | March 5, 2026

Seguridad ang unang dapat inuuna sa gitna ng lumalalang tensyon sa Middle East, at ito ang malinaw na ipinapakita ng agarang pagkilos ng Overseas Workers Welfare Administration-7 (OWWA) katuwang ang Department of Migrant Workers-7 (DMW). 

Ang ganitong kahandaan ay hindi lamang protocol ng gobyerno kundi paalala na may tutulong sa mga OFW kapag ang mundo sa labas ay nagiging alanganin na para sa kanila.

Bilang tugon, isinailalim sa aktibong estado ang regional emergency response protocols. Naka-standby 24/7 ang mga tauhan sa Mactan-Cebu International Airport upang tiyakin ang maayos na pagdating, agarang tulong, at maayos na reintegrasyon ng mga OFW mula sa Central Visayas. 

Para sa mga pamilyang naghihintay sa bahay, mahalagang mensahe ito na may nakahandang kamay sa oras ng pangangailangan ng ating mga kapwa Pinoy.

Batay sa ulat noong Marso 2, wala pa umanong naitatalang nasawi, nasugatan, o humihiling ng agarang tulong mula sa mga OFW sa mga rehiyon na apektado. 

Gayunman, hindi ito dahilan upang maging kampante. 

Patuloy pa rin ang koordinasyon ng OWWA-7 sa Migrant Workers Offices sa iba’t ibang bansa sa Middle East para sa real-time updates, dahil ang sitwasyon ay mabilis magbago at nangangailangan ng tuluy-tuloy na pagbabantay.

Tinatayang 33,903 rehistradong OFWs mula sa Region-7 ang kasalukuyang nasa mga apektadong lugar. 

Ang bilang na ito ay hindi lamang datos, ito ay mga magulang, anak, at kapatid na piniling mangibang-bansa para sa mas magandang kinabukasan ng kanilang pamilya. 

Kaya’t ang panawagan ng isang opisyal sa mga OFW na stranded sa Cebu, agad lumapit sa OWWA personnel para sa kinakailangang tulong. 

May mga tauhan sa OWWA counter sa International Departure Terminal ng MCIA na handang umalalay sa anumang agarang pangangailangan.

Kasabay nito, pinapayuhan ang lahat ng OFWs sa Middle East na sundin ang mga abiso ng Philippine Embassy at ng lokal na otoridad hinggil sa umiiral na security situation. 

Ang disiplina at tamang impormasyon ang unang depensa laban sa panganib dulot ng sigalot ng dalawang bansa.

Ang kahandaan ng OWWA-7 at DMW-7 ay repleksyon ng paninindigang ang seguridad ng manggagawang Pilipino ay hindi maaaring ipagpaliban at baliwalain. 

Sa gitna ng pandaigdigang tensyon, ang malinaw na koordinasyon, bukas na komunikasyon, at mabilis na aksyon ang nagsisilbing tulay ng tiwala sa pagitan ng gobyerno at taumbayan. 

Kapag ang OFW ay may sandalan, may mas mas magkakaroon sila ng matatag na kalooban at mas buo ang pag-asang makauwi nang ligtas para sa kanilang pamilya.

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