QUEZON CITY (PIA) -- The Human Settlements Adjudication Commission (HSAC) signed a Memorandum of Agreement with the UnionBank for the integration of UPay in the HSAC’s Electronic Payment and Collection System (EPCS) on Wednesday, November 23 at the Auditorium of HLURB Bldg. in Kalayaan Avenue, Quezon City.

HSAC is a purely quasi-judicial agency that was reconstituted from the Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board by virtue of Republic Act No. 11201. Its mandate is to “adjudicate, among others, disputes relating to real estate development, homeowners’ association, and appeals from decisions of local and regional planning and zoning bodies.”

During the MOA signing, Atty. Melzar P. Galicia, Executive Commissioner of HSAC, in his welcoming remarks, cited Executive Order No. 170 which instructed all government departments, agencies, and instrumentalities to adopt digital payments for their collections and disbursements, to be the reason why HSAC partnered with UnionBank for this endeavor.

“This event aims to digitalize and make HSAC adopt a modern form of payment as well as provide a more convenient and straightforward payment option. The HSAC may now progress to the next level of innovation, thanks to UnionBank. It is time for HSAC to give its stakeholders a faster and simpler method of paying their legal fees with only a few clicks,” Galicia said.

In his keynote speech, HSAC Commissioner and Adviser for the TWG for Digital Transformation Atty. Sergio E. Yap II said that his policy foresight paper has identified the gaps and challenges in the adjudication process.

“The gaps in HSAC hinder the attainment of HSACs vision of providing equal access to legal process geared towards just, speedy, impartial transparent and inexpensive resolution of a dispute involving housing, real estate development transaction, land use, and homeowners’ association. Such gaps and challenges serve as the foundation for crafting the strategies for change in our HSAC, strategies towards digital transformation.”

“The launching of the E-payment system thru UPay is just the start of HSAC’s digital transformation. This will be the future of HSAC, not as predicted but as created by our HSAC family with the partnership of UnionBank,” Yap said.

UnionBank Executive Vice President and Transaction Banking Center Head, Mr. Ramon G. Duarte said they are humbled and thankful for the opportunity.

“We are delighted to introduce this newest service to you, thru which HSAC litigants can now pay their legal fees conveniently right on HSAC’s own website. What seemed to be a technologically complex task is now part of HSAC’s regular capability.”
“Through this MOA we are signing, we commit to streamlining payments and collections to facilitate a better transaction experience for both the litigants and the commission itself.”

Duarte believes that breaking barriers to digital transformation gives rise to the resilience of organizations and communities.

After the actual signing of the Memorandum of Agreement, UnionBank Executive Vice President and Corporate Banking Center Head, Mr. Antonino Agustin S. Fajardo, in his closing remarks said “The road to this point was marked with many challenges. Nothing insurmountable, nothing that we together as partners, could not work for nor solve. After all, we share a common aspiration of building a more sustainable future, not only for our very own institutions but more so for our country as we transform the way we do things by tapping into technology and what it can do.” (ARB, PIA-CPSD)