Thale Joy Escuton – Public Service Sustainability Leadership

Thale Joy Escuton has desired to impact society ever since she finished Bachelor of Arts in Communication at De La Salle University – Dasmarinas. Through the lens of her chosen program, she witnessed how communicators, government workers, and other professionals can influence an environment-oriented society and sustainable policies. During her early days after university graduation, Thale pushed for the digitization and automation of scholarship grants in her hometown – Cabuyao City, Laguna. This innovation favored Cabuyao City scholars by receiving their scholarship grants through an automated card instead of the traditional distribution of cash.

Currently, she is working as a writer under the Public and Media Affairs Department of Pag-IBIG Fund (Home Development Mutual Fund). Also, she is taking up a degree in Master in Sustainable Leadership and Governance in one of the premier universities in the Philippines. 

At the age of 22, Thale has been proactively participating in the agency’s Housing Program on pushing towards the sustainable future they aim for. She firmly believes that to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities, the perception and awareness of Filipinos on sustainable housing must be obtained, and its advantages shall be made known to them. With this, Thale crafted a Sustainable Housing Program research coupled with policy paper and used her degree in Communication to design campaign plans to promote the concept of sustainable housing in Pag-IBIG Fund, and other Key Shelter Agencies in the Philippines for the academe.

Through her continuous dedication, Thale also spearheaded Pag-IBIG Fund’s virtual events that are instrumental in influencing the agency to be more sustainable in its conduct of corporate events. Despite being with the agency for only two years, she has helped create more campaign programs for its members to sustain or keep their homes away from foreclosure amid the negative impacts of the pandemic. 

The agency initiatives include the Home Saver Programs that provide housing borrowers options for remediation due to non-payment of arrears. In addition, the Home Equity Appreciation Loan (HEAL) Program was also implemented to provide good-paying housing loan borrowers and installment buyers an opportunity to avail themselves of loans based on their existing or mortgaged collateral properties with the Fund.