OWWA Housing Program Guidelines for OCWs

General Objective: Enable OCWs to acquire housing units individually or in groups, fostering an exclusive, self-reliant OCW community.
Specific Objectives:
- Offer affordable housing units complying with Batas Pambansa 220 standards.
- Provide socio-economic facilities for alternative incomes, education, and other amenities within the OCW village.
- Deliver support services including equity financing and marketing assistance.

OCWs who are members/beneficiaries of OWWA and concurrently members of HDMF, Social Security System (SSS), or Government Service Insurance System (GSIS).

Implement three main strategies:
1. Full development of exclusive housing villages.
2. Allocation of housing package percentages to OCWs.
3. Agreements with various developers.
Provide Equity Financing to assist OCWs with down payments, mitigating high-interest loans.
OWWA formalized cooperation through a Memorandum of Agreement with HDMF.

Roles:
- OWWA acts as marketing arm through Overseas Centers, handling:
  - Program information dissemination.
  - Referral and coordination with Field Service Offices.
  - Market surveys for feasibility.
  - Organization and registration of OCW beneficiary groups.
- Maintains an inventory of housing units.
- Provides equity financing.
- Coordinates program execution including financial and marketing operations.
- Certifies membership.
HDMF responsibilities include:
- Financing land acquisition and housing construction.
- Technical assistance, including market surveys, appraisals, compliance with BP 220, and loan documentation.
- Membership certification.
Accredited Developers duties:
- Preparation of subdivision and engineering plans.
- Land development and housing construction.
- Installation of utilities.
- Project maintenance and turnover.
- Securing necessary permits and clearances.

Activities range from negotiation with HDMF to house turnover, divided among OWWA, HDMF, and developers.
OWWA participates in accreditation processes via HDMF’s Pre-Qualification and Bidding Committee.

Steps include orientation, housing package presentations, trippings, reservation fee payment, loan documentation, evaluation, equity financing, approval, construction, inspection, mortgage take-out, and house turnover.

Submission, evaluation, approval or disapproval, and mortgage take-out, involving OCWs, HDMF, and developers.

Eligible FILOW Program members meet criteria including duration of membership, contributions, age limit, legal capacity, and prior housing loan restrictions.
Document submission requirements are comprehensive, including application forms, income proofs, IDs, certificates, tax documents, authorizations, medical exams, and other HDMF-requested documents.
Loan terms follow HDMF standards for computation, default guidelines, and maximum amounts based on income.
Insurance requirements include Mortgage Redemption and Fire Insurance.
Maximum loan term is 25 years, not exceeding borrower age of 70 at maturity.
Interest rates vary based on loan amount, ranging from 9% to 17% per annum.

Social and economic support within housing projects include:
- Educational institutions.
- Sports and cultural development.
- Health and sanitation improvements.
- Environmental and recreational structures.
- Income-generating projects (village transport, grocery stores, etc.).
Community Development Officers facilitate formation of community structures and promote neighborhood cooperation.

OWWA to arrange agreements with developers to allocate housing units for OCWs nationwide.
Developers categorized as HDMF-Accredited and Developers in Good Standing (certified by HLURB).
Initial equity financing support limited to HDMF-accredited developers but may extend.
Developer agreements include technical support, contract price discounts, unit allocation, reimbursement obligations on withdrawals, and information sharing.
Provincial developers work through Regional Units; agreements executed centrally.

Involves invitation, orientation workshops, screening for accreditation and certification, and formal agreement execution.

Supports OCWs with partial payment of equity for housing loans.
Eligibility requires submission of housing loan application and partial payment to accredited developers.
Maximum financing amount is P100,000 with a maximum two-year term.
Interest rate is set at 14% per annum.
Exclusively used for equity payment balance after HDMF loans.
Withdrawal of housing loan requires repayment of equity financing plus accrued interest.
Late payments incur a 2% monthly penalty.
Security via post-dated checks; dishonored checks are subject to charges.
Amortization starts one month post financing release.
Checks are cancelled upon actual cash payments.

Applications filed through Field Services or Regional Units.
Required documents include application forms, FILOW Membership proofs, receipts from developers, and promissory notes.
Evaluation ensures completeness and confirmation of loan application.
Approval by Directors or Regional Supervisors.
Voucher and check preparation follow existing procedures.
Checks payable to accredited developers on behalf of OCWs.

OWWA issues at least three demand letters.
Failure to settle leads to estafa case filed with Fiscal's Office within 20 days of last demand.
Respondent gets 15 days to respond followed by preliminary investigation.
Cases filed in RTC for claims over P20,000 and MTC for under P20,000.
Payment or settlement leads to case closure.
Failure after promised payment triggers case pursuit, promissory note requirement with penalty clause, and possible warrant issuance.
Coordination with PNP-CIS or NBI for warrant service.
Absconders are publicly notified via general circulation newspapers.