Pag-IBIG Fund has posted a record-high PHP25.95 billion savings collection under its modified savings program (MP2) in 2021 even under the pandemic.

Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD) Secretary Eduardo del Rosario, who also chairs the 11-member Pag-IBIG Fund Board of Trustees, noted that uncertainties such as the pandemic would not hinder Filipinos from securing their hard-earned money.

The Pag-IBIG Fund’s MP2 savings collection in 2021 hit a staggering growth of up to 95 percent from its previous PHP13.23 billion collection in 2020.

“Even amid some uncertainties caused by the pandemic, the MP2 proved to be one of our most sought-after programs,” del Rosario said in a news release on Friday.

The housing czar also emphasized that MP2 has traditionally provided higher returns on savings, thus, more and more members are preferring to grow their hard-earned savings with Pag-IBIG Fund.

Del Rosario said the Fund will be announcing its dividend rates for 2021 after finalizing all reports for the year.

“Helping create more financially secure Filipino workers is our contribution to the national government’s efforts towards economic recovery,” he added.

The savings program facilitates a special voluntary savings of its members with a five-year maturity with a premium of 0.5 percent.

From the required initial PHP500 savings, members can save more and earn even higher dividends on top of the regular savings.

It is open to pensioners and retirees who were former Pag-IBIG Fund members, as long as “they had at least two years worth of savings prior to retirement.”

Meanwhile, Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Acmad Rizaldy Moti cited a significant increase in the number of cumulative MP2 savers with a notable growth of 42 percent—from having 508,522 members in 2020 increased to 721,980 in 2021.

“We thank our members for their enduring support for the MP2 even during these challenging times. Because you choose to save in MP2, it has always been one of our most impressive programs. Prior to the pandemic, we had just achieved our best year in 2019,” Moti said.

Moti assured the members that their savings are safe and will continue to grow.

“And while many lessons were learned during the last two years of the pandemic, we’ve also learned that your trust in Pag-IBIG never waned as the MP2 not only remained firm but also grew to record-levels in 2020 and 2021,” Moti said. (PNA)