MAJORITY of the affected condominium unit owners who were displaced after the buildings were declared unsafe due to the earthquakes that struck the city are considering the buyback offer, an official from the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development-Davao Region (DHSUD-Davao) said.
Following the series of dialogue with the unit owners from different quake-affected condominiums in January, DHSUD-Davao officer-in-charge Miguel Palma Gil said unit owners might accept the buyback offer from David M. Consunji-Urban Property Developers, Inc. (DMC-UPDI) and David M. Consunji, Inc. Homes (DMCI Homes) whose offer ranges between 125 to 175 percent.
DMCI-UPDI are the developers of Ecoland 4000 Residences, Palmetto Place and Magallanes Residences, while DMCI Homes is the developer of Verdon Parc.
Palma Gil said 125 percent from the acquisition cost, and a P40,000 monthly displacement assistance will be given to unit owners of Magallanes Residences, Palmetto Place and Verdon Parc. Unit owners at Ecoland 4000, meanwhile, will claim 175 percent from the acquisition cost and monthly P40,000 displacement assistance.
Meanwhile, for buyers of units in buildings still under construction, the offer is 100-percent refund on all payments made.
The official said the developers made their offers after meeting President Rodrigo Duterte at Malacañang Palace. Duterte was reportedly “not amenable with only 100 percent refund”.
Duterte, in an interview with ABS-CBN, warned the Consunji-owned firms that he will audit all DMCI buildings if the company would continue to refuse to pay the residents.
“If you do not come to terms with the people that you prejudiced, I will not allow you to even construct a building, not even a post because I will question the integrity of your company,” Duterte said in a previous TV interview.
He said the amount is the developer’s “final proposal” and that it is up to the unit owners whether they would accept the offer.
“Based on previous dialogues, daghan nag-manifest na they would want to avail the refund. Although naa pu’y uban nga dili satisfy sa offer, ug ila kini i-agi og legal course of action, but they are still contemplating. Pero naa pu’y desidido gyud nga magfile (Based on previous dialogues, most of them manifested they would want to avail the refund although others were dissatisfied and are still planning to take legal course of action. There were some who were already decided in filing a case),” Palma Gil told SunStar Davao on Monday, February 24.
He added there are those who manifested to stay and wait for the affected buildings to be open for occupancy.
The DHSUD said most of the dissatisfied unit owners from four condominiums want a 200 percent buyback.
However, Palma Gil said they are still finalizing the list of unit owners who would avail the refund, and those who won’t be accepting the offer. He said they are targeting to finish the list within this week.
Should buyers decide to file cases before the court, he said DHSUD would support them as the agency is mandated to protect their rights.
DHSUD-Davao, previously known as Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), issued a cease and desist order in October last year to the current projects of DMCI-UPDI and DMCI Homes in the city. In January this year, the agency issued order of suspension of collecting amortization payments to developers, to lessen the unit owners’ financial burden, following the damages they incurred after the earthquakes.
Meanwhile, Office of the City Building Official (Ocbo) head Cirinia Grace Catubig said Ecoland 4000 and Magallanes remain under “red tag” status while Verdon and Palmetto are under “yellow tag” status.
Establishments placed under “yellow tag” status only incurred damage in specific portions of the establishments while properties with “red tag” status incurred major damages from the previous earthquake, wherein a notice to vacate was issued.