Restructuring, condonation await housing beneficiaries

CEBU, Philippines — Socialized housing beneficiaries in Cebu City with loan penalties may soon avail of restructuring and penalty condonation for their unpaid dues.

This was announced by the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP)’s executive director lawyer Ronald Anthony Librando, who said residents of the city’s 120 socialized housing sites could stand to benefit from the program.

DWUP disclosed that for one year starting this November, socialized housing beneficiaries with loan penalties can avail of restructuring and penalty condonation for their unpaid dues.

A maximum of 90 percent of unpaid penalties on housing loans are condoned under the ordinance.

Librando said to avail of the service, socialized housing beneficiaries must visit the DWUP office at City Hall to apply for restructuring and penalty condonation.

“Next month, pwede sila mobisita sa office kay naa man tay application form. Once naa na silay application form, pwede na nila bayran ang 10 percent penalty,” Librando said via the City’s Sugboanon channel.

DWUP will be sending notices to beneficiaries to inform them of their penalties so that they can avail of the service.

The service is aimed at alleviating socialized housing beneficiaries, especially those who failed to pay their dues on time.

This is also in compliance with City Ordinance 2734 or the Cebu City Housing Loan Restructuring and Penalty Condonation Ordinance of 2023.

Librando said under the ordinance, socialized housing beneficiaries will only need to pay 10 percent of their total incurred penalties.

“Sa DWUP, nagbuhat ta og tanang moves aron matuman nato ang atong aim nga maka provide ta og security of land tenure para sa atong mga beneficiaries,” Librando added.

The service, Librando said, is open to beneficiaries of the city’s socialized housing programs such as the City-Owned Rehabilitation of Estates (Core), City Housing and Acquisition of Privately-Owned Lots; and Acquisition and Disposition of Relocation Sites can avail of the program.

Beneficiaries of the Slum Improvement and Relocation (SIR) program are not included in the ordinance.

Those qualified to avail of the service includes those that have housing loan that lapsed and have active contracts, or about to lapse and that the borrower will not be able to pay in full when the contract period ends, as well as those whose housing loan bear big amount either the unpaid monthly amortization due, unpaid interest due, and big amount of unpaid penalty.

However, socialized housing beneficiaries could also be disqualified from availing the service if they have bought lot structures but names are not included in the list of beneficiaries, or those that have availed the previous restructuring of loan and penalty condonation, or with contracts that have penalty clauses.

Not all of the city’s socialized housing beneficiaries are also subject to penalties if they miss or default their housing loans.

Some of the city’s socialized housing programs, such as those living within CORE areas, are not subject to penalties and loan interest due to the provisions made when these were established.

 “Katong mga CORE, wala toy penalty clause kay wala may investment ang City ana,” Librando said.

“Kanang mga privately-owned properties or relocation sites nga gipalit sa City, naa na silay penalty clause kay mo recover man ang City sa iyang nagasto,” he added.

With this, Librando also hopes to establish a standard policy for all socialized housing programs that will allow all beneficiaries to have the same benefits. (FREEMAN)