How We Applied For a Pag-ibig Housing Loan

I have received a significant number of hits on my post about my Pag-IBIG loan experience in my other blog that I decided to write about how we applied for one in this blog.

We bought our home during the last quarter of 2006. Our property is located in Cainta, Rizal and is just a few blocks away from Ortigas Avenue Ext. and a neighborhood mall. It was priced at Php 2.5 million and the price is reasonable for a 100 sq. m. house and lot. We did not apply for a Pag-IBIG housing loan right away. For one, the maximum loanable amount is only 2M. Initially, we paid the 500 thousand equity (20% of the contract price) in partial payments. The equity included the reservation fee and the in-house payments that we gave from the time we signed the contract to sell up until the third month of our stay in our new home. Our house was newly built when we moved in, by the way. The package did not include the perimeter fence and gate. We just had it built a few weeks after moving in.

So, when we found out that we have already completed paying 20% of our property's contract price, we started on applying for a Pag-ibig housing loan. We chose to apply for a housing loan under Pag-ibig because it had the lowest interest rates. The commercial banks were giving 13% to 16% interest rates on loans while Pag-ibig offered on 11% for loans of 2 million. Aside from that, we learned that should the principal borrower die or be disabled during the course of the loan, the loan is already considered paid. Commercial banks do not offer this.

We went to the Pag-IBIG office in Makati and attended a loan counseling seminar. There we learned the basics of a Pag-IBIG Housing Loan. My husband accomplished a Housing Loan Application form and Membership Status Verification Slip. The staff also gave us a list of the requirements that we and our developer will be submitting along with the forms. We paid the Php 1,000 non-refundable processing fee after that and were advised to wait for the notice of loan approval.

We submitted everythig that was required on our part and that included payslips, certificate of employment, and the copy of the contract to sell. We also paid around 53 thousand pesos for the Transfer of Title and other real property taxes. Our developer was able to submit some of the documents that were required of them. After that, we received the Notice of Loan Approval. The notice indicated that we were only granted 1.6 million pesos for our housing loan application. We had to raise the remaining 400 thousand pesos just so our developer can work on our document and file them with Pag-IBIG. Pag-IBIG will only allow our developer to take out the amount once our documents are completed. That was still in 2007.

Our developer had an administrative problem within their company and failed to submit the documents that Pag-ibig required them to submit. It turned out that they had a major renovation of their organization and the person that was in-charge of our account was fired from the company. Our documents stayed with them untouched for more than a year. In fact, it was only this April 2009 when they have finally submitted all of the required documents and took out the 1.6 million pesos that was loaned to us. In fairness to them, they took care of the loan application extension fees and processing. For more than a year, we did not pay a single cent for our home because Pag-IBIG started our first monthly amortization a month after the day our developer was able to take the money. It was our developer's loss, not ours. By the way, we had to pay around 12 thousand pesos again for another set of realty taxes and also had to issue 12 postdated cheques for the first year of our loan.

Was it a blessing in disguise that our developer was not able to complete our document immediately? Frankly, I say no. We spent so many times following up our documents with them. It was like living in a limbo. We wanted it to be settled as soon as possible because we needed to feel secure that the house we are living in will become ours once the loan is over. I only felt a little secure when I saw that the title already showed our names. We were able to save for months on amortization costs but the anxiety we had wasn't worth it. So, just a tip, choose a developer or a home contractor who is dependable should you choose to apply for a housing loan.

Starting May of this year, our home has been officially under the Pag-IBIG Housing Loan program. We will be paying 16 thousand pesos a month for thirty years for our home. We plan to have our loan restructured and shortened once our finances are more secure. For now, we feel good that we were able to enjoy the benefits of being a Pag-IBIG fund member and the fact that our loan will also give us bigger dividends when retirement comes.

Litratong Pinoy: Nakakakilabot (Scary)

Isipin mo na lang ang takot namin noong gabing ito ang maabutan naming gumagapang sa pader ng bahay ng akin tiyahin sa Bicol. Palibhasa kasi'y matagal na walang tao sa bahay kaya siguro naging at home ang gagambang iyan. Malaki pa pala iyan sa kamay ko! Hindi rin namin nagawang patayin at madali itong nakatakas. Nagpa-photo op lang sabay tago! Hahaha!

May nakakakilabot ka bang litraton na gusto mong ibahagi? Sali na sa amin sa Litratong Pinoy. Sana'y mabigyan mo rin ng panahon ang isa ko pang lahok sa kabilang blog.

Imagine how scared we were when we saw this big spider crawling on the wall of my Tita's house in Bicol. The house is often empty and that's probably the reason why this spider felt at home. By the way, this spider is bigger than my hand! We were not able to catch it, though. It hid itself after we took this shot.

Do you have scary photos to share? Join me and other photo enthusiasts at Litratong Pinoy. I hope you will also have time to visit my other scary post.

Extreme Danz N Kix

Ralph has been attending Taekwondo training sessions again after a couple of months of hiatus. We enrolled him in a new training center this time because it has a more kid-friendly schedule. This training center is Extreme Danz n Kix in Robinson's Metro East.




I prefer Extreme's Taekwondo schedule because it's earlier compared to Ralph's former schedule in the other training center. He now trains in the morning (10:30 am - 12:00 nn) both during Saturday and Sunday. Their rates are as affordable, too. For 8 sessions a month, we only paid Php 1,650 (plus Php 200 annual registration fee.

Aside from Taekwondo, Extreme Danz N Kix also offers Sports Karate, Ballroom Dancing (both for teens and adults), Kids Modern Dance, Hiphop, Baby Ballet, Advanced Ballet, Street Dance, and Belly Dancing (kids, teens, and adults).

If you are interested about any of their programs, you can inquire about their rates and schedules by visiting their place at L4 Robinsons Metro East, Marcos Highway or call 774-6003.

Shredder Scissors

I bought this pair of shredder scissors from National Bookstore a few days ago. It was a great alternative to buying a paper shredder since I only need to shred our old bills and bank statements once in a while. It saved me money and space.

If you are interested in buying one, head on to the National Bookstore nearest your location. It's priced at Php 167.75 and comes in red, black, and light blue.

Bisolvon Bilis-Alis Ubo ng Pamilya

Moms and Dads, gear up for Bisolvon's Bisolvon Bilis-alis Ubo ng Pamilya Roadshow Series. The series of shows all over the metro will focus on strengthening the public's acceptance of Bisolvon as a family cough medicine. Bisolvon has been the family cough medicine of choice for over four decades. This campaign was lauched with a family event held last July 3 -5, 2009 at the SM Mall of Asia. During the event, parents and kids were able to bond with each other through several family activities which included scrapbook-making, family bands-making, parlor games, and a puppet show.




Ms. Regine Tolentino, who will be part of the roadshow along with the Bisolvon Barkada, announced the dates and areas that will be part of the series. The three-legged roadshow series are set to visit the key cities in Metro Manila such as Pasay (July 7 -12), Makati (July 14 – 19), Manila ( July 21 – Aug 2), Pasig (Aug 4 – Aug 23), Marikina (Aug 25 – Sept 6), and Quezon City (Sept 8 – Sept 27). The series will include Bisolvon bilis-alis Ubo... sa Eskwela, Bisolvon bilis-alis Ubo... sa Barangay, and Bisolvon bilis-alis Ubo... sa Botika. Ms. Regine Tolentino and the Bisolvon Barkada guarantees family participants of an informational and enjoyable time. Bisolvon premium items are also up for grabs.

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Mommy Moments: Pouting Face

Believe me, my son has pouting lips even without trying. Hahaha! This was a shot taken at the doctor's clinic after he had his blood test. We are always worried when he has fever because he's a Kawasaki Disease survivor. His pedia always gets a blood test done to rule out more serious illnesses like Dengue. Later on, the results showed a bacterial infection and was he was just given the usual paracetamol and vitamins.

Share your kids' pouting faces with other moms here.

July 27 is a Philippine Special Working Holiday, Palace Clarifies

Malacañang Palace has just clarified the earlier report that July 27, 2009 is a non-working holiday. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita made the clarification.

So mommies, I am so sorry for ruining your long weekend plans. Please disregard my earlier post about it this morning as this clarification was posted only around 1 p.m.

July 27, 2009 is NOT a Philippine Non-Working Holiday

I am sorry for bursting your bubble and spoiling your plans for the "supposed to be" long weekend. Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita has just made a clarification about it and announced that it is a Special WORKING Holiday. The update was posted only at 1:27 this afternoon.

Here's an additional long weekend for the family, fellow mommies here in the Philippines! President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has declared Monday, July 27, 2009 as "Iglesia ni Cristo Day" to commemorate the founding anniversary of the said religious sect.

It's good to know that the government has recognized an important occasion for INC members. After all, our country has so many religions and sects other than Roman Catholicism. We do not have plans yet on how to spend that long weekend. Probably, we'll settle on an inexpensive road trip of sorts or just stay at home and watch DVDs. Or I can just use the day to make reviewers for my boy.

How about you? Do you already have plans in mind?

Dengue Hemmorhagic Fever

With the declaration of the World Health Organization that the AH1N1 influenza virus is now on a global pandemic scale, news about incidences dengue especially here in our country have become a little quiet. It is officially the Dengue season as the rainy season started to come in. The Department of Health tells us to fear dengue fever more than the AH1N1 virus because the latter has available medications to cure the illness but dengue has none. Have you done your dengue preventive measures already?

Dengue Hemorrhagic Fever is an infectious disease that is spread through the Aedis Aegypti mosquito. This mosquito bites during the day and lays eggs in stagnant water. Symptoms of dengue include sudden onset of high fever that may last up to 7 days, joint and muscle pain, pain behind the eyes, skin rashes, abdominal pain, nosebleeding when fever subsides, dark-colored stools, and vomiting of coffee-colored matter. The last three symptoms are actually life threatening because it means that the patient is already encountering hemorrhage. Since there is no specific cure for dengue fever, the patient is administered medications to prevent dehydration and to strengthen the immune system against other possible complications.

To prevent the spread of dengue, the Department of Health recommends getting rid of possible breeding places of the aedes aegypti mosquito. Therefore, all areas that have stagnant water should be cleaned or covered. To prevent mosquito bites, a mosquito repellent lotion may be applied. It also helps to take B complex vitamin supplements. I read that B complex vitamins in our system make our bodies emit a scent that mosquitoes do not like.

As mothers, we have to be vigilant in gaining information about Treatment for Symptoms of diseases. Prevention is still better than cure and being informed is one sure way of preventing the spread of diseases.

The Amen Clinics by Dr Daniel Amen offers medical services that aim to treat symptoms and diseases. Find more information about Dr. Daniel Amen here.

What is a WAHM?

A lot of my friends have asked me about my freelance writing gigs. Most of my friends who have asked me about it are new moms who want to enjoy more time at home with their babies but also want to earn on the side. They want to be a WAHM like me.

I became a Work-at-Home-Mom just recently when I decided to stop teaching so I can spend more time at home. Presently, I am working on freelance web content writing jobs, proofreading and editing, and blogging. Contrary to what my friends think, what I do now is harder than when I was still teaching. Teaching only takes 5 hours of my day while the time I spend with my online work is around 8 hours.

With the help of the internet, a lot of online earning opportunities have become available for aspiring WAHMs. Aside from freelance web content writing and problogging, other options include virtual assistance and online selling. A mom can even try to sell jewelry online.

If you want to know how online jewelry selling works, you can visit Cash4Gold's site. Cash4Gold gets 4 stars for its quality service. Learn more about selling gold online by visiting the Cash4Gold profile for more details.

Mommy Moments: Encounter with Pets or Animals

My son has had so many animal encounters to date. Being an only child, we encourage him to take care of our two pet dogs at home to develop a caring personality in him. At least, he can experience how to take care of his pets even if he doesn't have brothers and sisters to take care of.

On our trips to the zoo and other animal centers, we let him have a close encounter as much as possible.

At Manila Ocean Park, he was tickled by the small fishes in the Fish Spa.


He fed carrots to rabbits at Ark Avilon in Tiendesitas.


At Chavit Singson's Baluarte in Vigan City, he had the chance to feed the baby goat with milk.


And at Zoobic Safari he fed camels with dry leaves.



Do your kids love animals, too? Share about their encounter by joining Mommy Moments.

Litratong Pinoy: Kandado at Dito Lang

May utang ako sa LP noong nakaraang linggo kaya 2 ang larawang lahok ko ngayong Huwebes. Oo nga pala, dito ko na rin inilagay sa isang site ko para mabisita niyo naman ako dito.

Anyway highway...

Ang mga kandadong iyan ang nagbantay sa mga mahahalaga (at kadalasa'y nakakalokang) mga sikreto ko noong ako'y nasa Elementary at High School pa lang. Bago pa nauso ang mga blog ay naging abala rin ako sa pagsusulat ng aking mga nasa isip sa aking diary. Regalo ang mga ito ng isang pinsang nagtatrabaho noon sa abroad. Madalas pang pag-awayan namin yan ng aking makukulit na kapatid. Binabalak kasi nilang buksan para lang magkaroon ng maiinit na expose! Kita mo nga naman, dati itinatago ko ang aking mga sulatin. Ngayon ay naka-broadcast na sa world wide web!


Ang larawan naman sa itaas ay kuha noong nanood kami ng aking pamilya sa Ultra 7 Cinema ng Eastwood Mall, Libis. Dito lang kasi ako nakapanood ng sine habang nakahiga sa Lazy Boy reclining seat at kumakain ng unlimited popcorn at softdrinks. Medyo mahal kesa sa ordinaryong sinehan pero ok lang naman. Nalugi kaya sila sa amin sa dami ng popcorn at softdrinks na aming naubos sa halos tatlong oras na panonod namin ng Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Hahaha!

SpitzTunes -- Ya Gotta Love It!

Do you like love songs? What's your favorite love song? A love song for me is not supposed to be always like a mushy ballad. In fact, I find some rock love songs very emotional. I always try to take the lyrics in before I feel hook on it. How about you?

The widget above is a dNeero conversation about love songs. You can share your opinions about this by joining The widget above is a dNeero.