Thank you for your introduction Executive Secretary, Secretary Luc Bersamin.
[Please take your seats.]
Ang kalihim ng DHSUD, Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development Secretary Jerry Acuzar; the other members of the Cabinet present here this afternoon; and CEO of the Pag-IBIG Fund, CEO Marilyn Acosta; and our always perpetual host every year, Pasay City Mayor Imelda Calixto Rubiano; the members of the Home Development Mutual Fund; Board of Trustees and Management committee; our friends from the private sector; officials and staff of the Pag-IBIG Fund; fellow workers in government, ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.
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.” [applause]
It’s highly suitable because this Valentines’ month or heart month, when renewal of vows seems to be in vogue, your report is a rededication of your profound commitment to serve your members better.
Naalala ko tuloy yung sikat na tula, yung soneto na ang hugot ay: “How do I love thee? Let me count the ways.”
“Paano kita minamahal? Hayaan mong aking isa-isahin.”
At iniisa-isa mo nga.
At hayaan mong banggitin ko muli ang ilan sa mga tampok mong pahayag, sapagkat napakasarap balik-balikan, pinaka-mataas na halaga na napa-utang na housing loan na umabot sa PhP126.04 billion; [applause] pinaka-maraming natulungan ng Pag-IBIG Short Term Loans na lagpas sa 2.65 milyon na miyembro; pinaka-mataas na halaga ng nakolektang loan payments na umabot sa mahigit PhP142 billion; pinaka-mataas na total assets na halagang PhP925.61 billion; [applause]
Palagay ko, next year, trillion na itong magiging report ninyo. [applause]
Ang mga nagtaguyod ng Pag-IBIG fund ay talaga naman sana— ‘yung iba wala na rito, hindi na natin kasama, ngunit sana ay maibahagi natin sa kanila na ganito ang nangyari sa sinimulan nilang Pag-IBIG fund.
At tuloy-tuloy na lumalaki at maganda naman ang naging epekto para sa pabahay ng ating mga minamahal na mamamayan.
At bukod pa diyan, ang pinaka-mataas na gross income sa halagang PhP77.21 billion; pinaka-mataas na net income na umabot sa PhP43.79 billion; at pinaka-mataas na dividendo na ibabahagi sa lahat ng miyembro sa halagang PhP 48.76 billion.
Kaya sa pamunuan at kawani ng Pag-IBIG, tanggapin po ninyo po ang taus-pusong pasasalamat ng sambayanang Pilipino. [applause]
To the men and women of Pag-IBIG, whose stewardship of its members’ funds skillfully combines growth with sustainability, please accept our heartfelt thanks for a job well done and our most fervent congratulations. Keep up the good work. [applause]
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.
And I know it is a tall order.
But your Secretary of Housing does things not because they are easy, but because they are hard.
Masyado siyang mahilig sa mga challenges. Laya’t pagka-sinasabi ko kailangan nating abutin itong mga numero ito, hindi–walang mahirap para kay Secretary Jerry. Sabi ko, “Sige, gawin natin.” Kaya naman nagkaganyan ang report ng Pag-IBIG ngayon. [applause]
For instance, we are actively pursuing the implementation of the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Housing Program, which continues to address the need for decent housing and to build on the potential impact of a robust sector in the growing economy.
Many held the cowardly view that the Pasig River is dead and cannot be revived, but we are witnessing its revival through the Pasig River Urban Development Project.
So far, in the past two years, I have seen how the DHSUD and its attached agencies have broken out of their comfort zones, and tore down the walls that caged ideas.
And so with the same spirit, I urge the Pag-IBIG Fund to make its home mortgage financing even more accessible and to balance this with sustainability.
This is to inspire Filipinos today, and the generations to come, to work hard to reach their goal of a house that they can call their own.
With millions of our countrymen denied the right to decent shelter, the stakes could not be higher.
So, our task is clear: To build the most number of housing units by any administration.
Thankfully, the Pag-IBIG Fund has a proud DNA which has been a source of its strength and its stability.
It is the coming together of “ikaw, bangko, industriya, gobyerno.”
Parang apat na matibay na poste ng bahay.
Kaya ang Pag-IBIG matibay, sapagkat dito ito nakapundar, dito ito nakasandal.
These four pillars are your funds’ greatest and strongest building materials.
This marshalling of the many to build one strong nation is also the cornerstone upon which Bagong Pilipinas is founded.
I have always believed that when we are united behind one great purpose, there is nothing that can stop the Filipinos from realizing it.
Whether building a nation or a home, this belief in ourselves is our fighting faith.
Maraming salamat sa inyo. Magandang hapon sa inyong lahat!
Congratulations on the very fine performance that you’ve shown in 2023. The only thing is that you’ve set the bar very high. So, we expect you now to exceed that bar. I will see you next February. [applause and cheers]
Maraming salamat sa inyong lahat. Magandang hapon sa inyo.
—END—
