THE Human Settlements Adjudication Commission (HSAC) has found that six officers of the Pilar Village Homeowners Association (PVHA) had violated the by-laws of the PVHA.
In a decision dated April 5, 2021 and released on May 4, HSAC regional chief adjudicator Donn Tamayo voided the 2014, 2018 and 2019 PVHA elections in which the defendants Rene Lacsa, Manuel Yusi, Teresita de Jesus, Marianita Ongjoco and Alexander Sonza had themselves directly voted as officers.
San Fernando Councilor Harvey Quiwa and Philippine Daily Inquirer correspondent Ma. Antoniette Orejas filed the complaint through their counsels Paul Maglalang and Yoh Enriquez in HSAC Case RIII-HOA-200703-0023 in September 2020.
“This Office finds respondents’ act as illegal and in contravention of law,” a part of the six-page decision read, referring to the direct voting of officers, overstaying in office, voting for Sonza as auditor that is a non-existent position and creation of additional positions.
Lawyer Dunstan San Vicente, then regional director of then Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLRUB), pointed out the violations in a letter on June 5, 2015.
The PVHA by-laws, in force prior to the Magna Carta of Homeowners and Homeowners’ Associations of 2010, requires that during an annual meeting, the members shall elect nine directors by secret ballot.
Tamayo also ordered the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development to conduct the election of new members of PVHA board of directors and officers.
Majority of homeowners elected the entire slate of Team Unity led by Ramon Guevarra in an April 18 election. Tamayo also ordered Lacsa and group to “open and allow complainants to inspect the books of accounts of PVHA.”
He ordered the respondents to pay the HSAC, formerly the HLURB, an administrative fine of P20,000 and the complainants P30,000 in attorneys’ fees.