Anthony Leuterio, president and founder of Leuterio Realty and Brokerage, explains that they have delisted many of their former sales agents for being inactive. /Irene R. Sino Cruz
CEBU CITY, Philippines–Allegations on the excessive hiring of sales agents by the Leuterio Realty and Brokerage is untrue, according to company president and founder Anthony Leuterio.
Leuterio told CDN Digital that he now plans to file a complaint against a former broker, Julie Ann Rocha, for making false accusations against his company.
“It’s (Rocha’s accusations of excessive hiring) a lie. It’s difficult to recruit sales agents,” Leuterio said.
Rocha, a broker who used to work for Leuterio Realty but was ordered suspended for violations of some company policies, sent a letter-complaint to the Professional Regulations Commission claiming that the brokerage firm had hired 30,000 sales agents nationwide.
PRC-7 Information Officer Armund Ingles said that Republic Act 9646 or the Real Estate Service Act (RESA) allows each broker to have only 20 real estate agents or sales agents.
Ingles said hiring more than the allowed number would be considered unethical and could result in the filing of administrative charges.
Read More: Complaint filed against brokerage firms for hiring excessive number of sales agents
But Leuterio clarified that their brokerage firm has more than 300 brokers with each entitled to 20 sales agents for accreditation by the PRC.
He also explained that they have removed many sales agents from their roster because they have been inactive or have opted to stop after they failed to make any sales for several months already.
Leuterio called the RESA law as an immature law that has many loopholes. Leuterio added that the RESA law has not been strictly implemented such as the creation of an association of integrated professional organizations (AIPO) for real estate services.
Section 34 of the RESA law requires the integration of real estate services associations into one national organization. This national organization will be recognized by the Board as the only AIPO for real estate services organizations.
Also, PRC did not have clear policies on the delisting of inactive sales agents. /dcb