Overseas Filipino workers who paid in full for housing units only to find overgrown lots or structurally defective homes are not getting adequate protection from regulators, Senator Raffy Tulfo charged Tuesday during a Senate committee hearing on urban planning and resettlement.
Tulfo said constituents have been approaching his office in growing numbers over unfulfilled housing promises — units that were never built or were handed over in poor condition despite full payment by OFW buyers.
“Pila-pila, meron ‘yung, hindi n’yo tsini-check kung ‘yung isang subdivision, nagpe-pre selling kung meron ba silang license to sell. Nakapagbayad na ‘yung mga [OFW], they paid everything. And then pagdating ng araw na kukunin na lang ‘yung unit, hindi nagagawa at puro talahib pa rin,” he said.
The senator also described buyers arriving at properties to find roofs and walls in disrepair and no running water. “Dapat ‘yun namo-monitor ng DHSUD,” he added.
Committee chairman Senator Chiz Escudero pressed the agency on who bore responsibility for tracking such cases. DHSUD Undersecretary Sharon Faith Paquiz responded that local government units approve site development plans for subdivisions, while her agency’s jurisdiction covers condominiums. She confirmed, however, that DHSUD issues both certificates of registration and licenses to sell to developers.
Tulfo rejected the distinction as deflection.
“Exactly, there you go. Hindi kasi, nagpapalusot ka pa Miss Paquiz eh… kayo ang nagbibigay ng lisensiya sa developer para makapagbenta. Ang point ko, you’re listening but not hearing me. Ang point ko dito, ayon sa mga sumbong, nabentahan sila ng mga unit, and then pagdating nu’ng araw na prinomise sa kanila na mag-take-over na sila sa unit, walang unit,” he said.
The agency’s admission that it issues the licenses authorizing developers to sell units placed the monitoring responsibility squarely in question.
