THE Supreme Court has ruled that the heir of a Philippine Air Force combat pilot who died in the line of duty may be allowed to settle the deceased soldier’s outstanding socialized housing loan to avoid foreclosure.In a decision penned by Associate Justice Alfredo Benjamin Caguioa, the Supreme Court’s Third Division ruled that Felimon C. Torres, the brother and sole heir of military pilot Dominador dela Cena Torres Jr.
The GSIS Quezon City Branch Office, uninformed of Dominador’s death, later sent a Notice of Foreclosure/Cancellation to his address for failure to pay the amortizations.Felimon challenged this, claiming that the property must be consolidated in his name under GSIS’s Sales Redemption Insurance policy. The SRI guarantees the full settlement of the loan balance in case of the borrower’s death within the loan term.