The appointment of businessman Jose “Jerry” Acuzar, owner of San Jose Builders Inc., by President Marcos as the country’s “Housing Czar”—this makes him Secretary of Human Settlements and Urban Development, a Cabinet position—gives hope to the owners of the 54 townhouses of Ecology Village that is a big anomaly and should be rectified, Santa Banana!
The 54 units of Ecology Village in Makati were built along the National Power Corporation power line during the Martial Law days by then First lady Imelda Romualdez Marcos, as Minister of Human Settlements.
The Napocor power line property is alongside the gated San Lorenzo Village and Dasmarinas Village, extending kilometers long up to the Makati Medical Center.
Owners of the 54 townhouses were given Certificates of Ownership by the Technology Resource Foundation, an agency under the Department of Human Settlements.
But, my gulay, when the Marcoses went into exile in 1986, the Cory Aquino government abolished the Ministry of Human Settlements and the Technology Resource Foundation and canceled the 50 years lease of the townhouses.
This made the buyers and owners of the 54 townhouses virtual squatters and informal settlers on a government property, creating a big anomaly which made the owners of the 54 townhouses without titles to show ownership.
This anomaly must be rectified in fairness to the owners of the 54 townhouses of Ecology Village.
The big anomaly here is that despite the lack of papers showing their ownership of those townhouses, they cannot be ejected, being virtually informal settlers, since under the law they were all buyers in good faith.
That’s a big anomaly which must be rectified in fairness and justice to the owners and buyers of the townhouses, a problem which only the new Secretary of Human Settlements and Urban Development and President Marcos can rectify.
Back in 1979 when I learned of that townhouse development, I bought Unit B, close to the Don Bosco Church and near a shopping mall cum movie house and all the restaurants along Pasay Road.
I had always wanted to stay in Makati, especially in a very prime property.
With our small savings, my wife and I were happy to pay cash for one townhouse and occupied it in 1980.
At my age of 94 and next month I will be 95, my wife and I want to sell that townhouse.
There are so many who want to buy it, but since we have no title to the land to show that we are owners of that property, we cannot sell.
Thus, this column is more of an appeal to Secretary Acuzar and President Marcos to rectify a big anomaly in fairness and in justice to the 54 owners of Ecology Village.
Since all the owners of those 54 townhouses were all buyers in good faith and since we have become the victims of the hateful government of Cory Aquino, I appeal once again to the new Housing Czar, Secretary Acuzar, and President Marcos for justice and vindication.
Since Ecology Village has its own homeowners association, I urge them to also appeal to the authorities to rectify a big anomaly and to give all the buyers in good faith justice and vindication.
My gulay, we, the 54 owners and buyers of those townhouses, deserve no less, since we are all buyers in good faith!
What is worse is that the City Government of Makati continues to make all owners of the Ecology Village townhouses pay real estate taxes. Santa Banana, that’s adding insult to injury!
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The entry of the monkeypox virus into the country is alarming and frightening enough.
By its name alone, it is very frightful with all its pus-filled lesions.
Now there is the Omicron subvariant “Centaurus” which, according to health experts, is more transmissible The “Centaurus” virus reportedly is more capable of being vaccine-resistant.
So, Santa Banana, what will come next after the Omicron variant? I guess the only thing to do is to observe health protocols, like getting vaccinated and get booster shots, always wearing masks, washing hands, and observing social distancing.
My gulay, when will these end?
They say that the pandemic will probably end this year. I have my serious doubts, with all these frightening and alarming variants and sub-variants evolving. It’s for this reason why I pray, “God, Thy Will be done.”
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The National Telecommunications Commission wants to go after block timers in television to ensure that those buying time in television networks are observing NTC rules and regulations.
This means all the contracts entered into by block timers must observe NTC rules and regulations, which, to my mind, seems impossible with thousands of contracts entered into between those buying time and television networks.
My gulay, block timers do not only buy time in GMA-7, ABS-CBN, Channel 5, but in most of the television channels.
Aside from the impossibility of NTC in going over all contracts of those buying time in television networks, I believe that this attempt of the NTC is truly an intrusion on press freedom and the right of free expression and is unconstitutional.
This is where all those who believe that press freedom and the right of free expression should raise their voices against the NTC’s attempt to regulate block timers, a right as free as the air we breathe.
It’s also time that President Marcos should have the press secretary look into why the NTC has suddenly become so concerned with the regulation of block timers in television networks.
As a lawyer, I believe that the NTC has no right to regulate anybody who wants to buy time, except when it involves national interest and national security like seditious blocktime or when it is libelous against anybody.
President Marcos should put his foot down on ignorant people in government who intrude on the right of free speech and press freedom.
Press Secretary Trixie Cruz-Angeles should watch out for any attempt to suppress freedom and the right to free speech.
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It is well that the Senate will probe the reported loss of no less than P5.1 billion worth of expired vaccines caught by both the government and the private sector in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
My gulay, that amount is not peanuts and the vaccines could well have been used by those who have not yet been vaccinated.
I believe that whoever was responsible for the waste of good money should be held accountable if they are in government and, my gulay, I cannot think of anybody else but that group involved in procuring those vaccines and they should be held accountable.
Senator Go, Chairman of the Senate Committee on Health, should do well to prioritize the investigation if only to prevent this waste of good money from happening again.
The waste of good money by the government and the private sector because of expired vaccines is a big crime considering that the government is already in much need of money.
In the case of the private sector, Santa Banana, that’s their concern, which I believe should also be punishable by law.
