Pinoys in UAE cautioned vs. PHL property schemes

Filipinos in the United Arab Emirates may have to think more than twice before biting offers to invest in properties in the Philippines.


“I urge my fellow Filipinos to be very careful. We know many of you aspire to buy and own a home, but let’s not be blinded by that dream,” said Philippine Ambassador to the UAE Grace Princesa in a report on The National.

The National cited the case of OFW Aldo Magaspar, who paid to own a P1.065-million three-bedroom home in Cavite City.

Magaspar, a cargo assistant at Sharjah airport, reportedly dealt with an agent who met his wife via Facebook.

Gone to waste

“I never imagined this would happen to me after more than a year of paying off the monthly equity. All my hard-earned money had all gone to waste,” he said.

He said he paid a reservation fee of P10,000 to get the unit on a pre-selling phase, and paid a monthly equity of P8,133 in 15 months.

Last December, he was told the next step would be a monthly amortization of P12,700 in 10 years. He paid off the monthly equity in October 2013.

Magaspar eventually decided to back out and cancel the contract, and ask for a refund. The agency, however, refused a refund, saying the cancellation of the contract was voluntary on his part.

Appeal to real estate agencies

Meanwhile, Ambassador Princesa also appealed to real estate agencies to screen their applicants and not to sell property to those who could not afford it.

“I would like to thank them for helping Filipinos to realize their dreams, but then they should not be driven by profit alone,” she said.

She added they should "sit down with their clients and spend some time crunching the numbers.”—Joel Locsin/KBK, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

POPCOM, gagamit ng ‘digital platforms’ para pagtibayin ang mga ugnayang pampamilya

Mas pinalalawig ng Komisyon sa Populasyon at Pagpapaunlad (POPCOM) ang adhikain nitong pagpapalaganap at pagpapabuti ng pakikipag-ugnayan ng mga nakakatandang Pilipino sa kanilang mga anak na nagdadalaga at nagbibinata. Nitong Setyembre 21, ang POPCOM ay nagsagawa ng isang “parent-teen talk webinar” gamit ang Zoom, kung saan ang isang “interactive program” ang nagbigay ng naaayon na kaalaman at kasanayan sa mga magulang, habang tumulong ito sa mga anak na teenager na maabot ang kanilang buong potensyal. Hinikayat din nito ang mga nanay at tatay na sumali sa malayang usapan, lalo na sa mga usapin ukol sa sex at sekswalidad, na nakikitang makakatulong upang bumaba ang mga bilang ng mga pagbubuntis sa hanay ng mga kabataan. Maaaring mapanood ang webinar sa https://youtu.be/lZ9jrJCjYas. Ayon kay Ikalawang Kalihim (Undersecretary) Juan Antonio A. Perez III, MD, MPH, “ang webinar ay naging isang tagapag-simula at ‘padaluyan’ ng pag-uu
Read more

Biden said set to make push for demilitarized Palestinian state as part of new doctrine ---By LAZAR BERMAN

New York Times’ Thomas Friedman, who’s close to the US administration, says emerging doctrine would include Saudi-Israeli normalization, 2-state solution, and campaign against Iran US President Joe Biden’s administration is homing in on a new doctrine involving an unprecedented push to immediately advance the creation of a demilitarized but viable Palestinian state, The New York Times’ Thomas Friedman reported on Thursday. The plan, Friedman wrote, “would involve some form of US recognition of a demilitarized Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip that would come into being only once Palestinians had developed a set of defined, credible institutions and security capabilities to ensure that this state was viable and that it could never threaten Israel.” White House officials “have been consulting experts inside and outside the US government about different forms this recognition of Palestinian statehood might take,” revealed Friedman. What he termed the new “Biden Doctrin
Read more

In Cairo, senior Hamas officials discuss hostage deal with Egyptian intelligence chief ---By TOI STAFF, AGENCIES and LAZAR BERMAN

Delegation said led by terror group’s Qatar-based political leader Ismail Haniyeh; Wall Street Journal reports Hamas demanding 150 security prisoners for each female soldier A delegation of senior Hamas officials arrived in Cairo on Thursday for talks with Egyptian officials on a possible deal that would see the release of hostages held by terrorists in Gaza. The delegation was led by Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh, who lives in Qatar, and included senior members Mousa Abu Marzook and Khalil al-Hayya, the Qatar-based Al-Araby news outlet reported, citing an unnamed Egyptian source. The Hamas officials met with the head of Egyptian intelligence, Major General Abbas Kamel, to discuss the details of a hostage deal proposal that was presented to the Gaza terror group earlier this week by Qatari and Egyptian mediators. The outline of the deal was drawn up during a meeting in Paris last week in the presence of Israeli and US officials, as well as Qatari and Egyptian negotiators, a
Read more