By Henni Espinosa, ABS-CBN North America Bureau
Jan. 11, 2012
DALY CITY, Calif. – What happened on January 10 was something the Comandao family would never wish on anyone. At 9:20 in the morning, officers from the San Mateo Sheriff’s Department barged into their home and only gave them a few minutes to get dressed, pack and leave their home.
After being in foreclosure proceedings, and being behind on their $4,000 monthly mortgage payments for a year and a half, they were finally evicted.
Margarita, the homeowner, said: “We were not given any notice. They just grabbed us and got us out of the house.”
Margarita’s husband, Romulo, said, “We were pushed out of our own house. Whatever clothes we had on, that’s what we were able to bring. They said the house was no longer ours.”
Margarita said they had been applying for a loan modification from their lender, SunTrust Bank for over a year, but it was never approved.
The couple work as hotel housekeepers and said they fell behind on their mortgage payments because Romulo had a stroke and could not work for a year.
Margarita sought the help of the National Asian American Coalition (NAAC), which convinced SunTrust, the San Mateo Sheriff’s Department and the Daly City Police Department to temporarily call off the eviction last January 5.
The Comandaos filed a wrongful foreclosure lawsuit against their lender last year and the NAAC said until the investigation is finished, they should not have been evicted.
Faith Bautista, executive director of the NAAC said: “We asked the bank for a 45-day grace period so they could exit gracefully. But I don’t know why the eviction still pushed through.”
Bautista said the bank should be blamed for the family’s failure to pay for their mortgage because they were given a loan they could not afford in the first place.
Norma Comandao-Gonzales, Romulo’s sister who also lived in the house said getting evicted has taken a toll on their health. She and Margarita both suffer from heart problems.
Norma said: “My God, why did this happen to us here in America? We were forced out of our own home.”
The NAAC is calling on other homeowners who have been victims of wrongful evictions to come together and join a class action lawsuit against banks to stop abusive practices.
Balitang America tried to contact SunTrust Bank to comment on the Comandaos’ eviction. They have yet to respond.
You may contact Henni Espinosa at henni_espinosa@abs-cbn.com for more information.
