Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, February 6) — The National Housing Authority (NHA) is investigating 667 Kadamay members suspected of renting out or selling their state-sponsored houses in Pandi, Bulacan.

"When we would survey the site, we noticed that in some houses, the occupants would keep changing. None of these occupants are included in the original list of Kadamay members submitted to us last year," Romuel Alimboyao, who heads the NHA in Central Luzon, said in a press briefing on Monday.

The NHA has been validating the claims of Kadamay members since April 2016, when President Rodrigo Duterte allowed the urban poor group to remain in the Pandi housing site it had occupied illegally.

Before the NHA can formally award the houses, Alimboyao explained that it needs to validate the personal information of Kadamay members to make sure they have not previously received government housing.

"It's just sad that there was already unauthorized entry [in the Pandi housing site], and now even without a formal award, they're already making transactions on the houses," NHA Spokesperson Elsie Trinidad said.

The law prohibits beneficiaries from selling, transferring or disposing of their socialized housing. Violators lose their right to the land and the amortization they already paid, and are barred from other NHA benefits for 10 years.

Trinidad said the Kadamay case is so far the "largest incident" the NHA has uncovered in all its housing sites. Typically, only "isolated cases" of one or two beneficaries try to make money off their units.

However, authorities said it was difficult for them to investigate the cases further. Ever since the NHA released a video of Kadamay member Jerry Lovado trying to sell his unit, they said the group had set up its own security in Pandi and prevented NHA staff from entering the site.

Kadamay maintained that Lovado was set up by the NHA and captured the incident with a hidden camera.

Meanwhile, the NHA reminded the public to be wary of making deals with Kadamay members involving their housing units - even if the price offered is low.

"These transactions are illegal and they will be considered moot and invalid," NHA Chief of Staff John-Christopher Mahamud said.

Kadamay members approved

A total of 5,269 Kadamay members have been approved to receive socialized housing -- roughly 60% of the total 8,494 members listed with the NHA.

Many of those whose claims were rejected submitted incomplete information to the government. Another 71 had previously received housing units, while 19 have pending applications, Alimboyao said.

When the formal award will take place, however, is still uncertain. The President granted Kadamay the Pandi housing units originally intended for military and police personnel. The NHA is still waiting for a law authorizing the grant of these units to non-uniformed personnel.

Moreover, only 1,983 units in Pandi are allocated for the military and police. The other 3,295 units are meant for informal settlers, relocated from dangerous and disaster-prone areas in Metro Manila.

The Armed Forces and national police are expected to complete an inventory of all their other available housing units across the country by February 28. Other Kadamay members will be allowed to move there instead.

"We are hoping Kadamay will be true to their word that once the AFP-PNP inventory is complete, they will move out of the houses meant for informal settlers," Mahamud said.

Mahamud was firm, saying the NHA would not be willing to negotiate and give up those houses for Kadamay members too.

"Itong mga taong ito kung kanino dapat nakareserve yung mga bahay na inoccupy nila, they've been waiting for years. They went through the process," he said. [Translation: These people who the houses were reserved for but Kadamay occupied, they've been waiting for years. They went through the process.]

"It would be very unfair that through illegal occupation, they will be deprived of their right to housing by the same people who are claiming to fight for their rights."