HLURB urges warring BF groups to hold joint polls

The Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board is urging the United BF Homeowners Association Inc. (UBFHAI) to submit its proposal on how the organization’s election of officers can be carried out alongside that being conducted by the HLURB’s management committee, which has been running the day-to-day affairs of the group since November last year.

Since both groups agree that elections should be held soon in order to install a new set of officials, the idea of arriving at a so-called “amicable settlement” is being welcomed.

HLURB Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer Romulo Fabul said the idea of holdover officials of the UBFHAI finally working on a common goal with the committee can be considered a very positive development.

Fabul said a deal between opposing parties can be honored for as long as it is not contrary to law and if the Board of Commissioners approve it.

“The HLURB is here to resolve. They can submit a proposal and we can deliberate on it. Both want elections. Other issues can then be discussed later (after the elections),” he said.

Fabul issued the statement after learning of UBFHAI president Celso Reyes’ idea of letting management committee members have two or three seats in the six-member election committee, which will supervise the elections.

Management committee chair Aristotle Sarmiento said arriving at such a deal with the UBFHAI board would only be possible if the HLURB authorizes or approves it, considering that they are merely following the agency’s orders for them to audit the organization’s financial records due to allegations of graft and thereafter call and conduct an election of officers.

He stressed, however, that there is already a Jan. 18 order authorizing the management committee to be the election committee and call and conduct UBFHAI elections.

Reyes, claiming to have the backing of the UBFHAI board, has been in a power tussle with the management committee for more than three months now.

The entire issue stemmed from a complaint filed by former UBFHAI president Rolando Navarro, who accused Reyes of misusing millions of pesos in UBFHAI funds.

The management committee’s “incomplete” audit report, submitted to the HLURB, cited allegedly questionable bank transactions including US dollar purchases, which Reyes insists are well accounted for and can be explained.   – Michael Punongbayan