De Castro issued the stern warning after relocated families had informed him that some resettled families were selling the houses provided to them by the government.

"This is something that I would really hate to happen and I’m serious in having those who are involved in this illegal activity penalized," De Castro said during his visit to various relocation sites in Bulacan and Laguna recently.

The Vice President said the government will provide house and lot to beneficiaries of the national relocation program only once. "If the government finds out that one of you is selling his house, he will no longer be given another one," he added.

De Castro said that those found guilty and the buyer of the lot and house would be evicted from the relocation site.

"So let me make my self clear that selling as well as buying of governmentprovided houses under the relocation program is illegal. I will be you’re No. 1 enemy if you violate this policy," the Vice President said.

De Castro said that despite the lack of sufficient funds to finance the relocation program, the government has been true to its promise to pursue a shelter program with the homeless for its main beneficiaries.

"The beneficiaries must realize that they let go of this once-in-a-lifetime chance to get their own house and lot as well as the opportunity to lift their dignity from being informal settlers to eventual homeowners," De Castro said.

The HUDCC chairman has been doing the round of six relocation sites in Bulacan and the newly established resettlement area in Cabuyao, Laguna to assess the living condition of relocatees.

During his interaction with the families, De Castro vowed to speed up the installation of power and water facilities as well as the holding of frequent medical missions.

Noli bats for creation of more  poll revision teams to hasten  resolution of Legarda protest

By DAVID CAGAHASTIAN

Vice President Noli De Castro has requested the Presidential Electoral Tribunal (PET) to create up to 75 more revision teams to speed up the revision and recount process on the election protest filed against him by former senator Loren Legarda, his closest rival in the 2004 elections.

In a motion filed before the PET, De Castro’s lawyers said that the resolution of Legarda’s election protest could drag up to 2013 as there are only 25 revision teams doing the recount.

Lawyers Romulo Macalintal and Alberto Agra said in their motion that only 36 percent of the 7,744 protested precincts from the pilot province of Cebu have been revised, while 10,000 more precincts from the pilot provinces of Pampanga and Maguindanao have yet to be revised.

They added in their motion that Legarda’s election protest also requests for the revision and recount of ballots from some 107,000 more precincts in 41 other provinces and cities.

"Thus, based on this estimation, the revision of ballots from Cebu, Maguindanao and Pampanga would last until December 2006 and the revision of ballots from the remaining 41 protested provinces or cities could be finished possibly in seven years from now, or in December 2013", De Castro’s motion to the PET said.