Manila – The Institute for Labor Studies (ILS) conducted its second leg of orientation on the Home Development Mutual Fund, commonly known as PAG-IBIG, and Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth) benefits attended by ILS employees on February 7, at the ILS Office, Intramuros, Manila.

The activity aimed to enhance the financial literacy and knowledge of ILS employees on housing and medical benefits.

PAG-IBIG Housing Relationship Officers Shaira Mei Evangelista and Jan Philip Barnachea served as resource speakers to discuss affordable housing loan programs available to PAG-IBIG members. The discussion focused on home financing, PAG-IBIG acquired assets, the terms and conditions, modes of sale, and some of the most promising programs of the agency such as the Group Sale, Countryside Housing Initiative, and the Rental Housing Construction Loan Program. According to the PAG-IBIG Fund data as of October 2023, there were about 76,180 members with new or better homes out of the 15.79 million active members, and about Php 99.26 billion housing loans were released.

The Institute also invited Claryn B. Sevilla of PhilHealth to discuss the government-mandated medical benefits and claims afforded to its members in the promotion of “equitable access to quality and affordable health care and protection against financial risk,” as mandated under Republic Act No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act 2019. Employees were oriented on the grant of immediate eligibility and access to “preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative care” benefits. Special benefit packages and benefits for COVID-19 patients were also discussed. The orientation concluded with the introduction of “PhilHealth Konsulta,” a consultation and preventive health service of PhilHealth for its members to access free checkups and affordable laboratory examinations, surgical procedures, physical medicine, rehabilitation, as well as mental health care.

Discussions were conducted after each session to allow employees to raise questions and clarifications on the services and programs offered by PAG-IBIG and PhilHealth. The invited resource speakers were awarded certificates at the end of each session.

For more information on the programs and services of PAG-IBIG and PhilHealth, visit the official websites at https://www.pagibigfund.gov.ph/ and https://www.philhealth.gov.ph/.