PBBM lauds Pag-IBIG for record-high P48.76B dividends declared for members in 2023
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. lauded Pag-IBIG Fund anew as the agency declared P48.76 billion in dividends to be distributed to its members as earnings on their savings in 2023, the highest in its 43-year history.
For 2023, Pag-IBIG Regular Savings earned an annual dividend rate of 6.55 percent while the Modified Pag-IBIG 2 (MP2) Savings gained an annual return rate of 7.05 percent, both record-highs since the pandemic. The announcement of the dividend rates on the members’ savings of the agency were among the highlights of the Pag-IBIG Fund Chairman’s Report for 2023, where the president spoke before a gathering of agency members, partners and stakeholders at the PICC Reception Hall in Pasay City, on Feb. 27.
“If I am to sum up your report, the splendid things that Pag-IBIG has done during what is, unquestionably, a banner year, then, without a doubt it is clear that “it is a labor of love,” the President said.
“But you and I all know that we are far from declaring mission accomplished. We have inherited a huge housing backlog that must be reduced. The challenge before us today, including those in the Pag-IBIG, the housing sector, and the local government units, is to translate these statistics into actual homes that people can live in. These homes shall be happy places where our kababayans can raise their families, spend the best years of their lives — creating joyful memories with those that they love,” the chief executive added.
Pag-IBIG Fund posted another banner year in 2023 as the agency’s net income reached a record high P49.79 billion, a 12% increase from the P44.50 billion the year prior.
The agency also reported several record high figures for the year, with home loans reaching P126.04 billion enabling 96,848 of its members gain new or better homes, total membership savings collected amounting to P89.26 billion, and cash loan releases amounting to P59.32 billion aiding over 2.65 million members with their financial needs. The agency ended the year with total assets at its highest, amounting to P925.61 billion.
Secretary Jose Rizalino Acuzar of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) who also heads the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees, meanwhile, said that the agency’s highest dividend rates since the pandemic are the result of the agency’s record-high net income coupled with the highest dividend payout ratio approved by the Pag-IBIG Board.
Acuzar said that while the agency is required to return only at least 70 percent of its annual net income as dividends on the savings of its members, the Pag-IBIG Board approved a record-high 97.86 percent payout ratio, resulting in a record-high dividend amount of P48.76 billion.
“2023 now stands as the best performing year of Pag-IBIG Fund. Under the able stewardship of CEO ‘Manang’ Malen Acosta, Pag-IBIG Fund reached new milestones and posted record-high achievements in all areas – from members’ contributions, to housing and cash loans released, to loan collections, up to its total assets and net income. As a result, we were able to declare the highest amount of dividends for our members’ savings in our 43-year history,” the Pag-IBIG Fund Chairperson said.
“We thank our members and stakeholders for their enduring trust and support that have been instrumental in our sustained success. With its strong fiscal position and sound policies, Pag-IBIG Fund shall continue its role as lead in financing quality and affordable housing projects under the Pambansang Pabahay para sa Pilipino Program, remain as a reliable partner of the Filipino worker in gaining better lives, and of the government in its nation-building efforts toward a Bagong Pilipinas,” he added.
Spotlight is BusinessWorld’s sponsored section that allows advertisers to amplify their brand and connect with BusinessWorld’s audience by enabling them to publish their stories directly on the BusinessWorld Web site. For more information, send an email to online@bworldonline.com.
Join us on Viber at https://bit.ly/3hv6bLA to get more updates and subscribe to BusinessWorld’s titles and get exclusive content through www.bworld-x.com.