DHSUD-7 denies mounting licenses to sell housing units backlog

Local

THE Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development-Central Visayas (DHSUD-7) has denied claims that around 10,000 housing units in Cebu are being held back by delays in the issuance of Licenses to Sell (LTS), calling the allegation "false" and "baseless."

DHSUD-7, in a press statement issued June 3, said only two LTS applications remain pending before the regional office and both are already in the final stages of approval.

DHSUD-7 Director Mark Anthony Lindugan said the pending applications involve a residential subdivision and a columbarium project, adding that neither has a significant impact on Cebu's housing market.

The agency's statement was issued in response to remarks made by Anthony Gerard Leuterio, president of the A Better Real Estate Philippines (ABREP) Movement, who earlier warned that delays in LTS approvals were limiting housing supply and reducing affordable options for homebuyers.

Leuterio previously said more than 10,000 housing units in Cebu were awaiting LTS approval, preventing developers from launching pre-selling projects and contributing to a shortage of available housing, particularly in the P3 million to P6 million price range favored by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).

He also argued that the lack of new projects entering the market is pushing buyers toward more expensive ready-for-occupancy units and affecting the livelihoods of real estate salespersons who depend on active developments.

However, Lindugan said DHSUD-7 has no pending LTS applications covering such a large number of units.

He explained that some applications have been issued notices of deficiencies and returned to developers for compliance, while others were suspended due to incomplete requirements.

Developers, he said, are regularly informed of these deficiencies and must complete the necessary documents before processing can continue.

"We are simply performing our mandate under the law to protect stakeholders, particularly homebuyers," Lindugan said.

The dispute comes amid broader efforts by DHSUD to address processing backlogs nationwide.

Last month, the department acknowledged delays in some housing-related applications after an internal audit found bottlenecks in several regional offices.

Housing Secretary Jose Ramon Aliling has since launched the agency's Zero Backlog Program and ordered measures to speed up approvals, including assigning undersecretaries to oversee regional operations and expanding digitalization initiatives.(MyTVCebu)