Mayor Cortes calls for probe of former housing project chief
Cebu Daily News
First Posted 07:34:00 09/06/2008
MANDAUE City Mayor Jonas Cortes had ordered an investigation into allegations that a former housing project head has been extorting money from urban poor clients.
Fransisco Guilleana, who is now assigned to the City Attorney’s Office, will be subjected to an administrative investigation for alleged dishonesty, grave misconduct and neglect.
Cortes said that he received complaints from urban poor groups that Guilleana had been asking for fees of up to P2,500 to process the registration and titling of properties under the community mortgage program (CMP) of the city government.
The CMP is a P9-million project that allows qualified urban poor residents in Mandaue to get a loan from the government to buy the lot that they occupy through a long-term amortization plan with the National Home Mortgage and Finance Corp.
“Several years have elapsed and no single petition for judicial application of title has been filed or initiated,” said Cortes in a memorandum issued Sept. 4. “The money they (urban poor groups) gave him was never returned despite demands.”
The memorandum was sent to the mayor’s secretary Ernie Manatad, Human Resource chief Eutiquio Sanchez, and acting City Attorney Eliseo Ceniza.
Guilleana could not be reached for comment yesterday.
Cortes said the investigation would conclude within 90 days.
Cortes, in an interview, also said there were many who availed of the CMP who were not qualified.
Five urban poor communities in Mandaue were identified as beneficiaries of the CMP since the program started in 2002.
These are the Waling-Waling Urban Poor Association in barangay Opao, Asosasyon sa Nagkahiusang Kabus sa Mandaue in barangay Pagsabungan, Tekyan Extension Community Association I and Tekyan Extension Community Association II in barangay Casuntingan, and the Basak United Neighborhood Homeowners’ Association in barangay Basak. REPORTER DALE G. ISRAEL
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