PEZA, Pag-IBIG launch housing partnership for ecozone employees
The Philippine Economic Zone Authority (PEZA) is partnering with the Home Development Mutual Fund, otherwise known as Pag-IBIG Fund, to provide affordable housing for PEZA employees and the broader ecozone workforce in the country.
In a statement, PEZA Director General Tereso Panga said the partnership was formalized through the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Marilene Acosta
on Oct. 21.
Under the agreement, various programs will be implemented to enable qualified PEZA employees to acquire homes through Pag-IBIG’s financing schemes.
The Pag-IBIG Fund will offer the full suite of its housing programs, including end-user financing, home improvement loans, rental housing, and the Expanded Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino (4PH) Program, among others.
The program’s beneficiaries can also access a dedicated pool of acquired assets and accredited developer inventories, alongside bulk and group sale initiatives to make homeownership more attainable.
The PEZA estimates that more than 600 personnel within the agency will benefit from the partnership.
To expand its reach, the PEZA is eyeing to expand the benefit to include ecozone workers, covering about 1.8 million employees.
“PEZA commits to study the expansion of these benefits and opportunities afforded by our MOU, that this may be extended to the labor force employed within the ecozones,” said Panga.
“[PEZA] will continuously promote Pag-IBIG programs among our RBEs (registered business enterprises) in order to create reach for you, added program impact, and for the protection of our labor force,” he added.
Beyond the partnership, Panga said the PEZA is intent on exploring housing opportunities in its ecozones, potentially becoming another avenue for investments.
The agency, he said, is set to identify viable sites and work toward developing housing projects that are affordable, accessible, and sustainable
From January to September, the PEZA approved ₱154.7 billion in investment pledges, up 34 percent from ₱115.89 billion in the same period last year.
The projects are seen to create 50,430 direct jobs and generate as much as $4.49 billion.