CONTINUOUS effort to go against illegal lot sellers in Davao Region is being implemented by the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board Southern Mindanao Region (HLURB-SMR).
HLURB SMR Regional Director attorney Miguel Palma Gil said that since he took office in 2011, they are still continuing to monitor those who are illegally selling lots especially those who are apprehended and have been issued with notice of violation (NOV) continue with their illegal practices in other parts of the region under different names.
They are currently going after 30 developers and individuals. This is according to a data as of 2011 when Palma Gil took office. He said all of these have already been issued NOV and administrative cases already being readied and finalized for some.
Among the listed illegal sellers by HLURB-SMR is Dennis Llyod Astillo, who has three separate subdivision lots in Brgy. Bangkas, Toril, Davao City for sale illegally and had already been filed by HLURB with administrative case. With 29 recorded complainants against him, an estafa case has already been filed against him, said Palma Gil.
“We really encourage those who had been victimized by illegal selling of lots here in Davao Region and in Soccsksargen to file a criminal complaint against the illegal sellers because this is really estafa. As for our part, we can only do so much with administrative case. We only encourage the complainants,” he said.
The amount being paid to these illegal sellers as complained by the victims range from P30,000 downpayment to as high as P500,000 full payment.
Palma Gil said the case for these illegal selling varies. Usually these sellers are registered business establishments but not as land developers or land owners. In other cases, they approach the owners and offer to buy the land and sell it to others in a much higher price.
“However, what happens is even if the land has already been fully paid by the end buyer, the illegal seller still hasn’t paid for the land yet,” said Palma Gil.
Other names included to those that HLURB-SMR is currently going after are Camiling Land, Inc., Fely Duga, Sps. Carlos S. Duga, Felicidad P. Talamo, Danilo Ibañez, Cindirilla Ong, Cecilio O. Feliz, Frances Pe, Metro Verdes Consultancy Services, Aida Plaza, Giselle Cruspero, Allan B. Suan, Susan B. Dulasan, Rosemarie D. Reyes, Marlyn D. Caduan, Josefa P. de Vera, JCEP Marketing, 8989 GHK Corporation, Joseph Rubia, Eva Macanas, Manuel Serra, Nelia Macanas, Cris Agregado, Lourdes Cañezal, Property First Development & Management Consultancy, and Salvador D. Peñaflorida.
“When you subdivide a lot, you have to go to the local government and request for a development permit. If that is already issued along with other requirements, you have to go to HLURB and request for a license to sell and registration of land,” he said.
Palma Gil calls out to those who have been victimized by these illegal lot sellers to go to HLURB and file a complaint and he assured that they will be assisted. In an earlier interview he also stressed out that land buyers should make sure that the sellers they negotiate with should have a License to Sell.
“To those who really want to invest, or buy a house, they should really look for the seller’s License to Sell issued by our office. We have come up with a lot of complaints already. Some of them had already been issued with writ of execution but they managed to leave Davao City and continue their practice yet again in other cities in the region,” he said.