Rehoa Board of Trustees

 Please elect only individuals   … who will perform their fiduciary obligations through proactive, responsive, non-partisan and immediate basic services delivery under the atmosphere of self-help, volunteerism, rule of law, and transparency in the governance of our local affairs, and declare themselves bound by these ethical standards and norms during their incumbency in office, freely, voluntarily, and without reservation.  Elect only those who are offering their services to our Association on a pro bono basis. Elect only those who have minds of their own, not people awed or swayed by higher ranking authorities, trustees who are not afraid to ask "How does this resolution promote the good of  the Association?"

  It appears this resolution was passed unanimously. Which means no one objected? No one among the fiduciaries asked "how will an increase of 333% from 1.50 to 5.00 per sq. affect the residents? Not a single trustee manifested any concern for the residents? This is hard to swallow. The Code of Ethics promulgated by the HLURB emphatically said the interests of the homeowners are first and foremost. CODE OF ETHICS AND ETHICAL  STANDARDS FOR OFFICERS AND  MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS Sec. 9. Primacy of the Interests the ASSOCIATION  9. 1. All officers and board members shall strive for the common good of the  association, foregoing personal or professional interests. All decisions and  representations by the officers/board members must be made with the best interests of the  Association. In the performance and discharge of the officers and board members' sworn  duties and responsibilities, conflicts of interest must always be avoided. (How are t...

  Did the Association lose some collections for homeowners' dues  because some bad actor/s managed to pilfer them? This was confided to me by several people in the know. Warned not to spread a rumour, I said the Board should confirm this or deny, otherwise suspicions, blame, guesses, etc will flood into the information vacuum. Advice not taken. In the interest of accountability and transparency, if such pilferage did occur, can the board tell us what actually happened? When? How the loss was determined? Who were the person/s involved?  What amounts are we talking about? How much can still be recovered, if any? Was any action taken on the person/s responsible? And lastly, if this sorry episode really happened, as admitted by someone in authority, can the Board tell us why they have not acknowledged this?

Be aware

What the Board should do at annual meetings of REHOA REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11232 SEC. 49. Regular and Special Meetings of Stockholders or Members At each regular meeting of stockholders or members, the board of directors or trustees shall  endeavor to present to stockholders or members the following: a) The minutes of the most recent regular meeting which shall include, among others: (1) A description of the voting and vote tabulation procedures used in the previous meeting; (2) A description of the opportunity given to stockholders or members to ask questions and  a record of the questions asked and answers given; (3) The matters discussed and resolutions reached; (4) A record of the voting results for each agenda item; (5) A list of the directors or trustees, officers and stockholders or members who attended  the meeting; and (6) Such other items that the Commission may require in the interest of good corporate  governance and the protection of minority ...

  Early on, having created an organization plan, the board elected and distributed positions and titles among themselves. Mr. Ayop was elected President and Gen Manager. As has been the practice for years, the President has always been regarded de facto General Manager, even if this title was hardly used. The box in their organizational chart read "President/Gen Manager."  (The "scrubbed"  minutes belatedly split the office and position, so the President and GM were made to occupy 2 separate boxes in the chart to clothe it with the veneer of legitimacy.) Following the decree from the    primus inter pares,  the board resolved to compensate him (in addition to his per diem and gasoline allowance??) at the rate of P20,000 monthly (with 13th month pay?) Here is what  Section 15.  Association Bylaws under RA  9904, in part, reads: (e) The qualifications, positions, duties, election or appointment, and compensation of other officers and emplo...

  On  Jul 6, 2023,  I wrote a letter calling out the Board for their actuations I found  unusual and disturbing. I've been resident here for 12 years, and it's only this time I find the trustees' performance of their fiduciary responsibilities questionable. The board dismissed my concerns as personal sentiments of someone possibly suffering from premature dementia, and instead invited me to sit down with the officers. I declined for fear being surrounded by powerful, rank-conscious authoritarians could easily descend into a dreadful  Kafkaesque nightmare. Those same concerns are expressed in this blog, believing that residents will want to have a sense on how our fiduciaries are disbursing Rehoa funds. Recently, I read minutes of meetings indicating the board passed a resolution increasing homeowners' dues  (to P5.00 per sq. meter from P 1.50???),effective in 2025. I thought throwing some light at this time, on how responsible they were in their fiduciary r...

From the get-go, this Board did not waste time to help themselves to Association Funds.  Here are excerpts of minutes in a special board meeting, held on April 26, 2022: Mr. Subia: I moved for the approval for the increase of Board per diem from P 1,000 to P 2,000 monthly. (All approved) Mr. Ayop: I proposed that all members of Execom members be provided with a gas allowance amounting to P 1,000 per attendance, and all Committee heads will have a meal allowance every meeting. (All approved.) Mr. Servando: For the approved committee allowance, I suggest to continue giving the monthly allowance (All approved.) Since REHOA was organized more than a dozen years ago, trustees received a per diem of P 1,000 for every meeting. My understanding is that some trustees were still residing outside Riviera early on, and it was a token given for attendance. Committee meetings were mostly held in the REHOA office where coffee was served. No committee heads received any extra monetary compensation...

  The tests of essentiality, necessity, and beneficiality A  fiduciary is expected to justify any expenditure of Association funds on the grounds of essentiality, necessity, and beneficiality.  It appears an exaggerated sense of entitlement trumps the written law.  Do our trustees need to be compensated 300% more to motivate them? Whatever happened to volunteerism? to pro bono service? How is increasing per diems by 300% essential?  Consider a thought experiment: what catastrophe or disaster would have happened if no such increase was made?  Rehoa could not function? It will disintegrate? Become inutile? Unable to secure our homes? Garbage will not be collected? More frequent water interruptions? Number of guards will be reduced? The grass will not be cut? Streets will be dark at night? Home break-ins will double? Vicious dogs attack walkers, children playing, bikers? Nonsense . The previous boards have managed our affairs in fairly good ...