DWUP, LHB officials skip council executive session

CEBU, Philippines — Some Cebu City legislators have expressed their disappointment over the absence of the invited resource speakers for the executive session yesterday, August 14, 2024, to address the issues hounding the city’s housing programs.

The executive session was set to address the complaint of a certain Mary Jane Tradio, a member of KAPITBAHAYAN Homeowners’ Association located in Barangay Budlaan, Cebu City.

A resolution sponsored by Councilor Nestor Archival, supported the executive session, which included the invitation to the Head of the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor (DWUP), and a representative from the Local Housing Board (LHB) to discuss the Notice to Vacate and the disqualification issued against Tradio.

However, the resource speakers did not attend and the legislators present lamented on how their supposed presence were key in shedding light to the issue.

Councilor Pastor “Jun” Alcover expressed “disappointment,” saying that the members of the Homeowners Association even traveled to attend the session.

“Mao ng nakaingon ko nga nasagmuyo ko, kay sila may naa, pero atong mga opisyales nga maoy concerned officials unta nga makahatah og katin-awan sa ilang mga yangungo wala dinhi. Mao bitaw ng niingon ko nga last December, kinahanglan butangan og konsensya ang mga empleyado sa city hall sa pag serbisyo sa lungsod,” said Alcover.

“Where is the conscience," he asked, adding that Cebu City Hall employees are supposed to be at the forefront of delivering service to the public.

According to Alcover, the homeowners arrived early expressing their eagerness to air their respective grievances.

“So I like to deliver this to the concerned officials nga asa naman ang inyong konsensya, nga kining mga tawhana atong tinuoray nga amo. Dili man kita maoy amo, sila may atong amo, sila man ang ga sweldo nato, but where are they now?” Alcover said.

Presiding Officer and Acting Vice Mayor Donaldo Hontiveros also said that some of the homeowners even had to miss work just to attend the session.

Sangguniang Panlungsod Secretariat Atty. Charisse Piramide confirmed that the invited speakers from DWUP and LHB were informed and given an invitation last month.

“So ato pud silang gitawagan gahapon para ma kumpirma ilang pag anhi karong buntaga niingon sila nga mutunga sila,” Piramide told the council.

She added they tried to reach out on that same day, but to no avail, and their calls were left unanswered.

Hontiveros said that some members of the SP personally went to the offices of the respective speakers while the session was ongoing.

Meanwhile, Councilor Archival stressed it was fitting to invite the DWUP and LHB since both departments are the ones responsible for overseeing the city’s housing programs.

“Mao ta to akong suggestion nga unahon nato ang LHB ug ang DWUP unsay ilang basis nganong ila ning gi disqualify or naay notice to vacate aron makapahayag sila og unsay sklaro nga proseso,” said Archival.

“However, kay wala man gud sila, akong suggestion nga paistoryahon ang bisan duha lang guro ka myembro sa KAPITBAHAYAN aron makahatag sa ilang thoughts about this. Atong kuhaan ilang panahon regarding sa pagsayo nila diri unya wa maatubang sa atong mga tawo,” he added.

The president of KAPITBAHAYAN Homeowners Association, Hovinteno Archival, said that it was the DWUP that even invited him to attend.

According to him, he wasn’t informed what the discussion was all about, but said that he had the idea it could be on the eight beneficiaries issued with a notice to vacate, which include Tradio.

“Naa tuy silay time nga nangadto sila (DWUP), nangayo silag names nako sa mga members nga wala na nagpuyo. Meaning gi-abandon na nila ilang balay ug ilang lote,” he said.

“So mao na, amo ng gi hatag ni ang mga names. Usa na si Mary Jane Tradio, so wala nami kahibaw ana kung unsa ilang mga pamaagi ba,” he added.

The homeowners’ president disclosed that they were given at least three notices of disqualification while the fourth one was already a notice to vacate the area.

When the third notice was served, he said Mary Jane Tradio went back to the area to reoccupy the house.

He said that beneficiaries were given at least three months to leave the area. Should it go beyond the three months, their houses would be considered “abandoned.”

“Ang uban naabot nag three years wa nila puy-i,” he said.

For her part, Tradio said she was given a notice to explain last 2022. According to her, during the final explanation notice given the same year, she argued that she was able to go to the city hall to explain her side after her live-in partner was arrested for a criminal violation inside the house.

She narrated that they proceeded to sell sand to live, which was stopped due illegalities. As she proceeded to work with her sister in the city proper, she was offered to stay there instead of going back and forth to Barangay Budlaan, which cost of fare would take out a chunk from her income hence her house was abandoned.

She further said that it was destroyed due to the Typhoon. She, however, said that they were able to repair the damages and then decided to reoccupy the house anew.

As for the payment, Tradio admitted that she wasn’t able to pay any of the amount aside from the P1,500 downpayment last 2010 due to her current financial condition.

“Pero willing ko mu-data ana sir, karon kay lisod lang jud ko kay naa man gud koy anak gipa skwela,” she told the council.

At the end of the session, Archival said he would file another resolution as he assessed that the presence of Tradio’s live-in partner who was once arrested and convicted may be a threat to the overall peace and order of the homeowners’ village.

In line with this, Archival said he will be filing another resolution to create another avenue to hear both sides of the homeowners. —/ATO (FREEMAN)