Tragedy of Ecology Village anomaly

“The incoming president will have to action in.”

Sometime in 1980, when the nation was nevertheless underneath Martial Legislation and when former 1st Girl Imelda Romualdez Marcos was the Minister of Human Settlements, by the Know-how Useful resource Foundation Middle Basis, a part of the kilometers-lengthy Nationwide Electrical power Company powerline, a strip of land jogging alongside San Lorenzo Village and Dasmarinas Village, some 154 townhouses had been created and marketed to the community at nominal rates and termed Ecology Village.

My spouse and I had long wished to transfer from our house at the Philamlife Households in Quezon Metropolis to Makati Metropolis, and we took the prospect to purchase a townhouse beside the Don Bosco Church and beside the Don Bosco School, a number of minutes stroll to a browsing heart and all the eating places together Pasay Road. Fortunately, one of the advisers of Imelda, the late Vincent Recto, was a good family good friend and we managed to obtain a townhouse with a few bedrooms in the next story.

The TRCF issued us a certification of Possession equivalent to a title with a lease of P1,500 a yr. We ended up instructed that the lease of 25 several years was renewable following 25 years. All the other purchasers have been also issued a Certificate of Possession by the TRCF plus a leasehold on the house where by the townhouses were being constructed, ranging from 1,600 square meters to 27,000 sq. meters, relying on the land where by the townhouses have been developed.

When the strongman Ferdinand E. Marcos, the late father of President-elect Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos, Jr. Was exiled to Honolulu, and the late Cory Aquino was mounted as President in February 25, 1986, the Ministry of Human Settlements was abolished. The vengeful administration desired to erase then Marcos from the face of the earth, then Executive Secretary Joker Arroyo experienced all the leases of the 154 townhouses in the village called Ecology Village, cancelled, which technically produced all the homeowners of individuals townhouses casual settlers or squatters on a general public land.

I was then chairman of the Ecology Village Home owners Association and with the assistance of attorney Manuel “Lolong” Lazaro, who then was also a device proprietor, tried using to have that leasehold renewed to no avail. In actuality, I remember that we also had discussions with the Privacy Administration Council when some big company organizations desired to have the strip of Napocor powerline, but we could not agree due to the fact surveys showed that the 154 proprietors of the units did not want to market their units. Thus, we finished all conversations about the nature of the townhouses at Ecology Village, producing it virtually unachievable to promote the models.

With this as track record of this tragic anomaly known as Ecology Village, I make this attractiveness to President-elect Bongbong to renew the leasehold of all the models at Ecology Village, to legitimize the 154 units known as Ecology Village in fairness, justice and equity, only because we grew to become victims to a vengeful Cory Aquino regime that wanted to erase the identify Marcos from the experience of the earth. I think only a President can render fairness, justice and fairness to all people owning models, now in their twilight years. It would do nicely for the Ecology Village Property owners Association to make this enchantment to the President elect, considering that the householders bought the units through his mother’s tenure as Minister of Human Settlements, to render fairness, justice and fairness to every person.

In our conversations with the Privateness Management Council, it was proven that although technically, all device homeowners of the 154 townhouses called Ecology Village are squatters, authorities cannot do nearly anything simply because we have vested rights to the units we purchased, and if governing administration were to evict us, govt would be dealing with 154 lawsuits.

The difficulty of Ecology Village with all its unitowners having been produced technically squatters, has been challenging by the takeover of the City Government of Makati of the Napocor powerline. As a consequence, the City Federal government of Makati has been charging the unitowners authentic estate taxes for the models they occupy and for all the open up areas. The issue now is why ought to the Ecology Village homeowners be produced to spend taxes if they do not have the land? This is situation have to be corrected in the soonest probable time.

Individually I feel only the Town Authorities of Makati can resolve this complicated difficulty, due to the fact it is only truthful and just that the owners who do not own the land must be made to pay back serious estate taxes.

Yet again, I repeat this plea to President elect Bongbong to render us fairness, justice and equity by renewing our leasehold appropriate to a govt assets. Thank you, President-elect Bongbong.

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Insiders tell me that the up coming Senate President will most probably be Senate Bulk Chief Migz Zubiri for the reason that of his superb functionality as Vast majority Chief in the 18th Congress. His closest rivals will have to be Senator Cynthia Villar, a very long-time senator. There were being earlier reports that Senator Loren Legarda and Senator Sonny Angara could aspire for the Presidency of the Senate, but according to insiders, the Magic 13 prefers Zubiri.

Talking of the No. 1 Senator of the past elections, motion picture actor Robin Padilla, has picked his own committee to guide – the Committee of Constitutional Amendments and Electoral Reform due to the fact he would like to push for Federalism. But, I speculate if Padilla understands what Federalism involves and how to get it completed. Anyway, let’s see how significantly Padilla can get in his advocacy. Federalism? To swap a republican method of govt? Let us see how significantly he can get.

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People have been asking me what I imagine of the feasible appointments of President-elect BBM. Frankly, it would seem that his chosen cupboard associates have been getting acceptance by the non-public sector, the company group and investors, especially Bongbong’s financial group which is the will need of the hour, composed of recycled government functionaries from the previous administration.

The preference of Benjamin Diokno, Bangko Sentral governor, as secretary of Finance is outstanding. Diokno carries with him his experience as former secretary of Budget and Administration and as BSP Governor. And absolutely he is a person of honesty and integrity. Similarly his financial staff, with Felipe Medalla as the new BSP governor, Alfredo Pascual as secretary of Trade and Sector, considering their competence and practical experience, are also gentlemen of honesty and integrity. As the new socio-financial Secretary of NEDA, Arsenio Balisacan carries with him competence and as guy of honesty and integrity, he has the aid of the small business neighborhood and investors, a support a lot-necessary, my gulay, with the Marcos administration confronted with challenges like jumpstarting the financial state, as considerably wanted economic stimulus.

But, Bongbong’s financial group will also want men of competence and males of honesty and integrity in the Division of Agriculture, Office of Surroundings and Organic Sources and the Section of Transportation. So considerably so excellent as they say given that we all know that the accomplishment or failure of any administration depends mainly on the results and failure of cabinetmen.

In the remaining evaluation, Santa Banana, the people today can either sink or swim with the new President, thinking about the a lot of troubles confronting the new administration. Personally, in my around-70 several years as a journalist, my gulay, I have by no means found so quite a few troubles struggling with an administration as people struggling with the administration of President-elect Bongbong Marcos. To be straightforward, he will require all the assist and assurance we can give him, even from a accountable and credible opposition.