Pag-Ibig picks up cudgels for Asiatique victims
Vice President Jejomar Binay. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines—Vice President and chair of the Housing and Development Coordinating Council Jejomar C. Binay has ordered the Home Development Mutual Fund (HDMF), or Pag-Ibig, to notify Globe Asiatique (GA) 2 unit owners that the properties claimed by the realty firm now belong to the government.
“I have asked Pag-Ibig to issue a certification to the victims upon validation that the properties being claimed by GA are, in fact, now owned by Pag-Ibig. I have also directed Pag-Ibig to assert its ownership over those properties,” Binay said in a statement.
He said the certification could be used by unit owners in their defense against moves by the GA to have them evicted.
“We are now working out an agreement with the individual victims and I assured them they will not lose their homes if they deal with Pag-Ibig,” he added.
Binay’s order stemmed from the complaint filed by GA 2 Tower unit owners in Mandaluyong City against GA owner Delfin Lee who has been charged with fraud, his children, Dexter and Divine, and other officers of the firm.
Eviction notices
The unit owners received notices of cancelation of their contract and were being evicted after they discontinued payments when they found out from Pag-Ibig that their units were not in their names and had been sold twice.
Binay, who also chairs the Pag-Ibig Board of Trustees, said he had directed the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB) to broaden the scope of its cease-and-desist order (CDO) slapped on the realty firm.
“I asked Pag-Ibig to formally notify HLURB that those properties are now owned by them. This will pave the way for a broader CDO to be issued by HLURB against GA,” he said.
He added that the CDO would include prohibition against collection of amortization and threats of cutting of utilities by the GA administration headed by Edilberto Cruz.
Apart from the double selling, unit owners have also complained of unusually high utility rates, were water bills have soared to as much as P4,000 a month for a unit of five occupants.
