SolGen Berberabe is a good choice

**media[16399]**FINDING ANSWERSOne of the newest presidential appointees, lawyer Darlene Marie Berberabe as Solicitor General, could usher in a new era of exceptional leadership and public service.SolGen Berberabe, with a passion for excellence she showed when she was CEO of Pag-IBIG Fund—which had reaped the tremendous success that I had envisioned when I authored the law for its mandatory coverage—brings great hope that her leadership will give the impetus to make her new office soar to greater heights.Among the 35 laws I’ve principally authored when I was senator, I’m especially proud of RA 7742 pertaining to the Home Development Mutual Fund, popularly known as Pag-IBIG Fund, which provides: “Coverage of the Fund shall be mandatory upon all employees covered by the Social Security System and the Government Service Insurance System, and their respective employers.”Three decades after the bill I authored became law, Pag-IBIG Fund has declared “48.76 billion in dividends to be distributed to its members on their savings in 2023, the highest in its 43-year history,” according to its Chairman’s Report for 2023 which was a banner year for the agency as it posted a net income reaching a record high of ₱49.79 billion.Other record high figures for Pag-IBIG Fund in 2023 included “home loans reaching ₱126.04 billion enabling 96,848 of its members [to] gain new or better homes, total membership savings collected amounting to ₱89.26 billion, and cash loan releases amounting to ₱59.32 billion aiding over 2.65 million members with their financial needs.” The year ended with total assets of Pag-IBIG Fund at its highest—₱925.61 billion.Of course, much credit for the Pag-IBIG Fund’s latest successes goes to its current head, Marilene C. Acosta, who had risen from the ranks to become its CEO after serving in the agency for four decades.But it was Atty. Berberabe who was the trailblazer. Under her excellent stewardship for more than six years until 2017, Pag-IBIG Fund was able to double its benefits to members, all without increasing monthly mandatory membership savings of ₱100.During her stint, the maximum amount for housing loans was doubled from ₱3 million to ₱6 million, the housing loan interest rate was reduced from 11.5 percent to as low as 4.5 percent for affordable housing for minimum-wage earners and 5.5 percent for regular end-user financing, and calamity loan interest rate was reduced by almost half from 10.75 percent to 5.95 percent. Also, the number of Pag-IBIG Fund branches nationwide tripled from 38 in 2010 to 119 by 2017.Prior to her appointment as SolGen, Atty. Berberabe was dean of the College of Law of the University of the Philippines. It was also at the UP where she earned her philosophy degree, graduating summa cum laude. She was also class valedictorian of the College of Social Sciences and Philosophy in 1989 and salutatorian when she finished her law studies at UP.Among some achievements credited to her as being only the third woman to become UP law dean was the performance of its law graduates at the Bar exams. In 2024, four of the Top 10 examinees, including the No. 1, were from UP.I agree with what Executive Secretary Lucas Bersamin said about her: “Her strong philosophy background will help her use the wisdom and the ethical leadership she has gained from deep reflection and rigorous study to competently perform her tasks as the Solicitor General.”With her excellent credentials in the academe and her reputation for efficiency, I’ve no doubt Atty. Berberabe will strive for excellence as the new SolGen. (finding.lina@yahoo.com)