Members of the Multinational Village Homeowners Association Inc. (MVHAI) in Barangay Moonwalk, Paranaque City, have formally requested the intervention and assistance of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. in facilitating the 2024 special elections for the board of directors.
MVHAI President Jose Julio Templonuevo said the association has recently sent a letter to the president, seeking intervention over the ongoing legal issues concerning the legitimacy of its board members over the last five years, leading to involvement in legal disputes.
"To put an end to the issue and in the interest of justice and fairness," the Human Settlements Adjudication Commission (HSAC) adopted a decision on April 26, 2023, and a joint resolution on November 9, 2023, to convene and conduct a special election for the MVHAI Board of Directors in 2024, Templonuevo added.
The dispute began when the Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development National Capital Region (DHSUD-NCR) intervened in favor of former MVHAI President Arnel Gacutan. The government agency also ordered not to implement the 2024 special elections.
"Instead, DHSUD's NCR officer-in-charge Norman Jacinto Doral issued an order declaring deposed former President Arnel Gacutan, who is now perpetually disqualified from holding office in MVHAI's board whether elected or appointed by virtue of a final and executory decision as ordered by the HSAC Commissioners on April 26, 2022, as the holdover board of MVHAI," the MVHAI said.
Templonuevo said that the DHSUD NCR officer in charge also "ordered Gacutan to conduct an election, contrary to HSAC's own prior decision."
Doral, meanwhile, sent a letter addressed to the Multinational Village Homeowners Association Inc. on March 1, 2024, demanding a full turnover of all MVHAI association records, books, funds, bank accounts,
properties, gates, security, and to vacate the MVHAI Clubhouse to Gacutan's board, which Templonuevo and his officers refused to comply.
DHSUD has formally recognized the former members of the MVHAI as the legitimate village officers. In a three-page decision on February 29, 2024, Doral said the MVHAI election conducted in April 2022 wherein Templonuevo, was elected president, is null and void.
The DHSUD also acknowledged the board of directors' election in January 2019, led by Gacutan.
Doral said that the 2019 board members continue to serve as the sitting board of MVHAI in a temporary capacity up to the present.
But the incumbent officers urged Doral to carry out its mandate under Republic Act 11201 to conduct an election "as they only want fairness, seeking peace in their community."
The current conflict has affected the association's projects, according to Templonuevo.
Among the projects that have been delayed due to the dispute are additional street lights, road repairs, among others.
He said that most of the homeowners are agitated and confused, while others have stopped paying their dues because of the issue.
The Multinational Village is home to at least 2,600 households and currently holds a collective fund of P25 million, where costs for Maynilad, security, and other fees are deducted from the fund.
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