AZZELA Properties Development Corporation assured homebuyers that it will honor refund requests while simultaneously pushing through with the development of its Minglanilla housing project, which is slated for turnover by late 2026.
Lloyd Adlawan, chief executive officer of Azzela Properties, said he is in the office from Monday to Saturday to personally attend to concerns.
He acknowledged that more than 100 buyers have sought refunds after paying equity, or even fully settling their units without seeing any development on the ground.
He stressed, however, that the company has not reneged on its obligations.
“The willingness and good faith to pay are still there. We just really can't pay in full this year because we’re still recovering. By next year, we’ll be able to pay in full, starting from February until October,” Adlawan said during an interview with dyHP Cebu on Tuesday, September 2, 2025.
Refunds, he explained, are being processed in batches every Wednesday to ensure order and fairness.
Buyers with urgent needs are prioritized, with staggered payments starting this Friday and full settlement targeted by next year.
He also defended the delay in site development, saying the property was mountainous and required at least four years of land leveling even before the pandemic further slowed operations.
He added that construction is now ongoing and encouraged the public to visit their Facebook page for updates on the development.
He said the company secured a license to sell (LTS) and was granted a two-year extension by the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development (DHSUD), pushing the completion timeline to 2025–2026.
According to Adlawan, Azzela is now starting full-scale development. By October next year, he said land preparation will be completed and housing construction can begin, with the first turnovers projected by December 2026.
"We need to strike a balance. We have to continue development here while at the same time paying the refund. If we don’t, we could go bankrupt, and that would only cause more problems for the people," Adlawan added.
Azzela Properties Development Corporation launched several pre-selling projects including Azienda Azaliyah, Azella Heights, Zen High, and Zen Prime.
Complaints began surfacing in 2023 when buyers like Annie Reniva and Beth Morales discovered that no development had started despite their equity payments ranging from hundreds of thousands to over a million pesos.
To address mounting pressure, Azzela started releasing refunds in 2023 but only in small monthly installments of P5,000, an arrangement buyers criticized as slow and unjust.
Despite the complaints, Adlawan maintained that buyers were aware the property was mountainous when it was offered under pre-selling.
He said the company remains committed to completing the project while addressing refund claims in good faith. (CAV)