This was like a nightmare that never ends! When me and my siblings initially invested and try to create our home in Southfairway, we thought we were careful enough with how we handled our finances or our lifetime savings. Most ordinary or common people like me don’t have a lot of purchasing power specially if we are talking about properties. It was in my belief to ask for the developer’s license to sell and license to subdivided. They have their permit as Diagem Builders and through corporate appointment was passed thru Shalimar, Kenmore and Rudex. As if this knowledge was not enough we went to PAG-IBIG FUND and ask for their assistance by asking for the list of their accredited developer. Alas and behold, their’s was among on the list. Believing we are being taken care of since they have the permits from government institution we proceeded with the loan. What was the irony of it! Everything was amiss! Not only they were trying to say they do not know of our existence but more sadly that they do not seem to care how we are being handled. I was totally wrong to believe we were being taken care of as tax payer. “Under the law, no property development is allowed 12.5 meters below the shoreline.” Which hands of law are we supposed to lean on this time?
It deeply hurts to learn this things now. It was even earlier than what they were saying, 1990’s that the subdivision existed, much earlier than the 1990’s the area commonly known as “row house” was already there. It was only in 1990’s that the developer’s vigorously developed the area now known as “single”. It was true that there were illegal settlers along southfairway and this place they called as “Kamkam” or “grab land”. But majority of the residents were legally documented and paying their dues. Along the southfairway residents, there are about no less than 2,000 families residing as documented. I base this on the number of voters on homeowner’s election. I’ll say it again, this is only based on homeowner’s election therefore this number does not yet considered the resident families in “Kamkam” area which is also a large and noticeable group. Let’s say each and every family has at least two (2) or three (3) family members legally registered as voters for local elections how can a municipality ignore this number? Every now and then when a new resident has to apply for meralco and water district the homeowner would need to seek permits from the SAN PEDRO MUNICIPALITY city engineer. They would have to inspect the location. How could they approve thousands of application permits ignoring how the address exist? Every year the municipality encourages the residents homeowners to pay their realty tax, how could we be held liable for realty tax before this tragedy occurred if the municipality were not aware of the continous development of the place into a subdivision? Are we living in an imaginary place? If one would look on the place today it seems like a ghost town. Ang biruan nila sa kabila ng lahat mukha syang dagat na tinubuan ng bahay.

It’s been more than three (3) weeks since Ondoy happens and we are still out of our homes. What was more devastating than that is illegal settlers is now being treated should I say ”far better” than the residents of Southfairway. Residents of “kamkam” and other place of Landayan got to receive “relief” through tikets given by barangay officials while those of us who were the one paying the taxes are being ignored in the lines of waiting. Yung may kakilala sa mga taga barangay yung lang ang nabibigyan. I only come to witness this event only on times that I went to Barangay hall to facilitate PAG-IBIG moratorium requirements. Twice a number of me and my neighbors were on the lines waiting for the hall to start their 9AM hall opening, came the persons giving the tikets for relief. He literally ignores our existence and seeking for tikets eventhough we were among the one in the front, he went directly to those calling him on a first name basis. Ang masaklap pagkatapos maubos ng tiket, ang sagot lang sa amin ubos na raw. Palakasan ba ang tawag ditto. I’ve learned long time ago that it was never healthy to expect charity. I resent pity. I’ve learned my life that as long as one knows how to work and persevere there was hope. But I thought this was different, since we were among the devastated. And since we believe those relief were meant for Southfairway’s residents or am I mistaken on that one too?

I was trying my very best to describe our misery. We always have to wonder will there ever be someone who’ll be able to help? Someone comments and says “Mga kaibigan or relatives (kung hindi man sa kanila) ng administrations(past and present) ang mga developers na dapat kasuhan. Dapat din imbestigahan ang administrations (past and present) sa San Pedro Laguna..dahil sabit ang munisipyo...sila ang nagbibigay permits sa mga developers. Kaya dapat ang humawak ng kaso na ito ay ang Kongreso..kawawa naman ang mga Pilipino mahirap na sila lalo pang inaapi..mga ganid na politicians dapat lang maparusahan..Ang problema lahat ng politicians ay corrupt at sila sila magkakampi...kaya walang justice sa Pilipinas... “I tried to only elaborate…
This was very true. Sana po yung mag-iimbestiga manggagaling sa labas ng bakuran ng Laguna. This has been a problem of generation and politics particularly in San Pedro has been in ages. One has to know and learn San Pedro at it’s best angle sabi nga nila. Only recently they made a development, as in literally nagkaroon sila ng police station after being “caught in the light”.