Jose Cuervo Wraps Up Month Long Party at Panagbenga!

Wazzup Pilipinas!

This past month, your compadres at Jose Cuervo celebrated Baguio City’s annual Panagbenga festival with three back-to-back weeks of events that kept the city warm through the cold season!

The Panagbenga Festival is among the summer capital’s most cherished traditions. Founded in 1990, the festival began as a means to raise the city from the ashes of the devastating earthquake that ravaged the city in 1990. The Panagbenga Festival celebrates the variety of flowers exclusive to the Cordilleras. Since then, the month-long festival has become a tradition that binds communities together through its elaborate parade.

Inspired by the tradition of the Panagbenga Festival, Jose Cuervo assembled three events over the course of three weeks. The first took place at The Ampersand, where together with DJ Callum David, set the tone for the events to come with amazing music and quality, Cuervo drinks.

“To come up here with Cuervo was an experience”, says DJ Callum David. “The city is beautiful, and the people are equally beautiful. I can’t wait to do this again.”

Senate Inquiry on the Killing of Volunteer Doctor

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Akbayan Senator Risa Hontiveros on Monday filed a Senate resolution calling for a legislative inquiry to look into the slay of volunteer doctor Dreyfuss Perlas.

Hontiveros said that the conduct of a Senate inquiry will help in formulating and enacting measures to ensure the safety and well-being of physicians and medical personnel in rural areas.

Perlas was part of the Doctor-to-the-Barrios (DTTB) program of DOH and was killed by unknown gunmen in Sapad, Lanao del Norte last March 1. The incident was widely condemned by different sectors.

Hontiveros, who personally met Perlas during his DTTB graduation in October 2014, said that the murder is a great tragedy not only to the poor municipality of Sapang, but also the health sector in general.

“The current state of health human resources in the Philippines is characterized by the maldistribution of health professionals particularly doctors which are concentrated in urban centers”, Hontiveros’ PSR No. 310 read. The situation leaves “a number of rural areas doctor-less which in turn leads to inadequate health care services and poor health outcomes in these areas”, it furthered.

Hontiveros remarked that the killing of Dr Perlas undermines the efforts of government to provide access to health care services in rural areas.

“I am one with the health sector community in seeking justice for Dr. Perlas”, Hontiveros noted. “The Senate as an institution should not back down on this attack against health and healthcare for our people”, she concluded

How to Make Housing More Affordable For Filipinos

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Where do we go from acknowledging the importance of a home? As the number one marketplace for all things real estate, Lamudi Philippines talks about affordable housing and how best to make to it available to every Filipino.

“More than just a roof to keep our people safe from external threat, a shelter is where values are formed, hopes and dreams are built, and the true meaning of family is defined. For many of us, a home is indeed a symbol of identity and dignity,” said President Rodrigo Duterte at the 7th National Developers’ Convention of the Organization of Socialized Housing Developers of the Philippines (OSHDP). In the same event, the president called on all economic development stakeholders to unite and formulate development action plans aimed at providing decent homes to Filipinos.

The dream of having a home of their own is one common aspiration shared by all Filipinos but as the rise of property prices continue to shoot up this goal is becoming more and more elusive most especially to low-income earners. To be able to address the housing ownership challenge many Filipino families face, here are some innovative solutions that can be rolled out.

Affordable Finance Schemes

The first step to housing within reach is easier finance schemes and lower interest rates especially for the poor and the marginalized.

In recent financing program of Pag-IBIG Fund, the lowest interest rate they offer to its members is 5.5% for a one year fixed-pricing period, 6.5% for 3 years, 7.270% for 5 years, 8.035% for 10 years, 8.585% for 15 years, 8.8% for 20 years, 9.050% for 25 years, and 10% under a 30-year fixed-pricing period. To avail of the lowest rate of 5.5% per annum, borrowers must have a monthly amortization that should not exceed 30% of the borrower’s gross monthly income; and the ratio of the loan amount to the appraised value of the collateral shall not exceed 75%.

One major worry though is the full risk-based pricing framework that the Fund has recently adopted. This means that the interest rates will only be fixed on the assigned period and might go higher or lower depending upon the prevailing market rates. Fortunately the shelter agency reported that since they used the new scheme, the agency has lowered its rate for five consecutive times. This rule applies to all eligible members of the Fund.

Public–Private Partnerships

In a study of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), the affordability of housing has been adversely affected by out-of-control urbanization and unplanned urban sprawl where demand for residential land far outstrips the available supply of land, particularly in densely populated areas.

The best course of action for this dilemma can start with more proactive engagement of private investors in the national agenda. With the government and the private sector sharing ideas and working together, planning for future developments of a city that will include more low-cost housing will be made much easier.

The only listed example of public and private cooperation under property development in the portal of the Public–Private Partnership Center of the Philippines is the Pabahay sa Riles Project which can be recalled as not exactly a success.

As upcoming projects such as the Cavite–Laguna Expressway and the NLEX–SLEX Connector Road has been proven to be helpful, we can only hope that joint venture real estate developments will soon be planned and conceptualized for Filipinos.

Lower Rental Costs

Taking a leaf from the plans of former HUDCC chief Leni Robredo, a public rental housing program can likewise help ease the financial burden of housing to salaried workers and employees. This initiative will help individuals and families who temporarily chose to reside near their workplace in the city but do not intend to acquire a home there. By providing value-for-money ready-for-lease units, the families can save up for that dream house that they can own in the future.

According to a study conducted by the Philippine Institute for Development Studies (PIDS) in 2004, 33% and 17% of the Philippines’ urban population are renters and sharers, respectively. Through helping this big chunk of the market, this might be the way to not only help future homeowners save but also address the issue of informal settlements in key urban areas.