Monday, July 30, 2007 Inventory ordered on housing
NEOPHYTE Cebu City Councilor Richard Osmeña has a headache. And it’s not because of the weather.
He has just learned that collections by the City Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP) are low and that its records, especially on delinquent socialized housing beneficiaries, are not up to date.
“Naglabad lagi ang akong ulo. Pero gisudlan man ni nato. (This is giving me a headache, but we might as well finish what we started.) We will try to find ways where it will result to the benefit of both the beneficiaries and the City,” he said.
Osmeña, chairman of the council committee on housing, said he was surprised that there is one beneficiary who has not paid his amortization for 10 years already.
“I don’t know why. Bag-o pa man ta, maong nagpangutana ta. These are just cordial questions. I don’t intend to pick a fight,” said the south district councilor.
In January last year, acting DWUP Chief Danilo Gabiana told the City Council that of the P418 million the City has invested in urban poor housing projects since 1995, only P73.8 million has been collected.
Back then, some councilors already expressed their apprehensions that DWUP might not be able to collect the remaining amount efficiently.
Last May, the council also approved the ordinance that restructured and eased the payment of over P280 million in delinquent housing loans.
The loans are restructured so that the borrowers will have the next 10 years to pay their debts.
They, however, only have until May 30, 2008 to avail themselves of the privilege.
Otherwise, they have to settle their accounts within the next two years.
A total of 8,127 beneficiaries were granted loans amounting to P418.3 million. But as of last Oct. 30, 2006, up to 80 percent of them were delinquent in paying their obligations.
Last Wednesday, Osmeña asked DWUP to submit an inventory on all grantees of the low-cost housing programs of the City.
The report must contain the names, addresses, lot area, income, legal documents executed to support the grant, and other related matters.
Osmeña said he wants to know who is paying and who is not so that those who have not even paid or built homes should be removed and others in the waiting list could take over.
He said that while the list is long, several beneficiaries have wasted the opportunity by not religiously paying their dues. (RHM)
