Naga City Mayor and former Vice President Leni Robredo announced that a new residential initiative for municipal personnel was achieved at zero cost to the local government, operating strictly through a partnership between housing developer BellaVita and the Pag-IBIG Fund.
During an initial distribution event on Tuesday, August 18, the first group of 110 city workers received the keys to their residences at the BellaVita site.
Robredo noted that the homes were acquired below standard market prices under an “as-is, where-is” agreement, leaving subsequent property upgrades to the buyers.
“It was a happy occasion to turn over the homes to the first batch of 110 employees at BellaVita. This is a partnership between BellaVita and Pag-IBIG that we worked on to make it happen,” Robredo stated.
The overall agreement encompasses more than 500 housing units structured through a bulk purchase transaction between the developer and the designated entity.
To participate, applicants had to satisfy standard Pag-IBIG prerequisites, including active membership status and a sufficient net income to handle regular monthly payments. The city administration instituted further conditions, restricting eligibility to non-homeowners occupying Salary Grades 1 through 14, while excluding staff in higher-tier roles.
Robredo clarified that the initiative operates as worker housing rather than an informal settler assistance program, given that recipients cover their own mortgages through Pag-IBIG financing at rates above urban poor housing baselines.
“The Local Government of Naga did not spend any funds on this,” Robredo noted.
She added that municipal officials are exploring similar arrangements for additional local government personnel, distinguishing the project from previous public housing efforts aimed at urban poor communities.