April 23, 2009 05:39 PM Thursday [ journal.com.ph ]
By: Mia B. Billones
Displeased members of Home Development Mutual Fund or Pag-IBIG Fund yesterday called on Vice President and Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) concurrent chairman Noli de Castro to investigate a government-funded housing project in San Jose, Rodriguez, Rizal, for its being defective and “inhabitable.”
The complainants, composed of applicants from the cities of Caloocan and Valenzuela, identified the developer of the “inhabitable” housing project as REDEVCO, owned and operated allegedly by a certain Jayson Pascual.
According to them, the REDEVCO utilized substandard construction materials because the houses are structurally defective.
“We can not afford to close our eyes on this anomalous government project. It is our dream to have our own house but we can not imagine living in that kind of house.
What is at stake here are the lives and limbs of our families,” the complainants said.
“Aling Corazon,” one of the complainants, said the project was still under construction in September of 2007 when they applied for it through a loan secured from Pag-IBIG at Lots 1 and 2, Blocks 11 and 12 in Phase 2, San Jose, Rodriguez, Rizal.
“Nung bumalik kami, nagulat kami kasi sira-sira ang mga bintana, ang mga pinto ninakaw lahat, hindi mo talaga matitirahan at baka maguhuan pa kami at mamatay pa. Para kaming pinagsakluban dahil gumuho rin ang aming pangarap, nabale-wala ang binayad naming reservation, down payment, at equity. Ang masaklap pa, may notice na kami mula sa Pag-IBIG para sa aming monthly amortization,” she cried.
They said whoever was responsible for the project could be accused of serious neglect.
The displeased applicants stressed they worry that their quality of life will be ruined if they take risk and occupy the houses. We are looking forward to a nice, safe community for our family and it’s frustrating for us because we don’t feel like we’re getting that. If we knew better, we would have bought somewhere else,’’ added the applicants.
The complainants added REDEVCO representative Atty. Carlos Padilla assured them they will finish the project by July of last year.
So they waited and hoped, but nothing changed.
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