Ordinary soldiers can't afford new condo units at Ft. Boni

Government critics have alleged that the newly-inaugurated, posh-looking condominium units for Armed Forces personnel are meant to court the loyalty of the military, but ordinary soldiers themselves don’t seem too happy with the project. Armed Forces enlisted men, who requested not to be named, pointed out to GMA 7’s 24 Oras that the amortization ranged from P7,800 to P11,000 in monthly payments, for 20 years. The salary of a private, the lowest-ranked soldier, is only P8,000 a month. The highest ranked enlisted man, a master sergeant, and one who has 29 years experience, gets P21,000 monthly. Government and military officials have said the project simply intends to uplift the living conditions of soldiers. The military agency managing the housing project, however, admitted that for enlisted personnel to afford a unit, they would need to have an additional source of income. A unit at the new Bonificacio Heights residential complex, located at Fort Bonifacio in Taguig, costs from P700,000 to P1.5 million. Of the 1,500 available units, 100 officers and only four enlisted men so far have had their loan applications approved for the housing project. The residential complex was inaugurated last Wednesday by President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo herself. It has amenities such as a club house, basketball courts, and a swimming pool. Enlisted personnel dreaming of coming home from the battlefield to a place they can call their own will have to wait for low-cost military housing projects that supposedly would only require soldiers to put up P50,000 in cash.-GMANews.TV