Since the declaration of enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), businesses around the country have been temporarily halted—leaving many people without the financial support they need during this crisis. In response to this, government agencies like Pag-IBIG and the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) will be providing financial assistance in the form of calamity loans.
For people who need assistance during this crisis, here’s a quick guide to applying for a calamity loan.
Pag-IBIG’s Calamity Loan Program
To better accommodate members who need financial assistance during the ECQ period, Pag-IBIG will be enabling loan applications to be carried out online. These include their calamity loan program, which “seeks to provide immediate financial aid to affected members in calamity-stricken areas.”
According to their website, members who wish to apply for a calamity fund must reside in an area declared under a state of calamity, provide proof of sufficient income and have made at least 24 monthly membership savings.
To apply, simply fill out the Multi-Purpose Loan Form or the Calamity Loan Form—both of which are available for download as a PDF file on their website. Send the accomplished forms to your company’s HR personnel, authorized representative or Fund Coordinator, who will email these documents to the Pag-IBIG Fund email address designated for your area.
Accomplished loan forms should be submitted with a scanned copy of a valid ID, your Pag-IBIG Loyalty Card or your Landbank, UCPB or DBP cash card. Members with no loyalty card or cash card for the aforementioned banks will be advised on how to receive their loans.
Members who qualify for the calamity loan will be informed through text message, and can borrow up to 80 percent of their total Pag-IBIG savings. Initial payments for the loan are due on the third month after the loan release date, and is payable within 24 months.
DSWD’s Social Amelioration Package
As part of the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the DSWD will be providing social amelioration packages to sectors left vulnerable during the ECQ period.
Forms for a Social Amelioration Card (SAC) will be distributed by authorized personnel from local government units (LGUs), which will be filled up by the head of the family. Each family will be provided with two copies of the SAC form, one that will be submitted to personnel of the LGU and one to be kept for future reference.
Once the application is approved, the cash assistance will be distributed to families through the LGUs in their respective areas. Lower income households in Metro Manila will be receiving P8,000 while other regions will be receiving P5,000 based on regional minimum wage.
Header photo by rupixen.com on Unsplash
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