MANILA — The Philippines’ Home Development Mutual Fund, known as Pag-IBIG Fund, has approved a special benefits package for overseas Filipino workers affected by the ongoing Middle East crisis, allowing qualifying members to withdraw their savings early and receive temporary relief on housing loan payments.
The package, announced Sunday, aligns with President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s directive for a whole-of-government response to support the repatriation and recovery of war-affected Filipinos abroad.
“This is Pag-IBIG Fund’s contribution to President Marcos Jr.’s desire for a whole-of-government approach in helping our heroic OFWs,” said Jose Ramon Aliling, Secretary of the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development and chairman of Pag-IBIG’s 11-member Board of Trustees.
What the Package Covers
Under the approved measures, qualified OFW members may withdraw up to 100 percent of their regular Pag-IBIG savings — including employee and employer contributions and accrued dividends — before the standard 20-year maturity period. Members may also withdraw up to the full balance of their Modified Pag-IBIG II, or MP2, savings ahead of the normal five-year maturity, inclusive of returns earned.
Additionally, housing loan borrowers may apply for a three-month moratorium on payments, free of interest and penalties, with the loan term extended by an equivalent period.
Scale of Impact
Pag-IBIG Fund reported that as of February 2026, it had 891,427 registered OFW members in the Middle East, including 86,234 MP2 savers and 40,024 housing loan borrowers. The largest concentrations of members are in Saudi Arabia, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, and Kuwait.
Pag-IBIG Fund Chief Executive Officer Marilene Acosta said the agency would prioritize accessibility in rolling out the program. “We recognize that for this assistance to be truly responsive, it must be made available to qualified members in a manner that is fast, clear, and accessible,” she said.
Applications will be accepted online through the Virtual Pag-IBIG platform, as well as in person at more than 200 branches, OFW Centers, and service offices nationwide. Office-based branches operate Monday through Friday, while mall-based branches are open Tuesday through Saturday.
