When transparency disappears, trust disappears with it
“The true measure of governance is not how an organisation performs when everything is going well. It is how it responds when something goes wrong.”
Buying a condominium should be one of the safest investments a family makes.
People assume that once they receive the keys, the building is professionally managed. They assume the fire protection systems are maintained, the elevators are certified, the insurance is current, and the Board of Directors is fulfilling its legal and moral responsibilities.
After all, that is exactly what owners pay association dues for.
But what happens when those assumptions prove to be wrong?
That question now confronts every owner at Trion Towers, one of Robinsons Land Corporation‘s flagship residential developments in Bonifacio Global City.
A discovery that should never have happened
Owners at Trion Towers recently discovered that the building had been operating for more than six months without a valid Fire Safety Inspection Certificate (FSIC).
The discovery was not made through a notice from the Property Management Office.
It was not disclosed by the Board of Directors.
It came to light only because owners began conducting their own independent audit of the condominium’s operations and governance.
That fact alone should concern every condominium owner in the Philippines.
A Fire Safety Inspection Certificate is not simply another document filed away in an office.
It represents official confirmation that the building’s fire protection systems have been inspected and comply with regulatory requirements at that point in time.
For more than six months, that confirmation did not exist.
Thousands of people continued living in the building.
Most had absolutely no idea.
This is bigger than a fire certificate
The obvious question is:
How does a major condominium development managed under the Robinsons Land Corporation umbrella allow its Fire Safety Inspection Certificate to remain expired for more than six months?
That question quickly leads to many others.
Owners have since learned that the absence of a valid Fire Safety Inspection Certificate has wider implications.
Questions have arisen regarding:
- the status of the building’s elevator certifications;
- the validity of the Condominium Corporation’s Mayor’s Permit or Business Permit;
- whether insurers have been notified of the compliance issues;
- whether insurance coverage could be affected; and
- why owners were never informed.
- There is also a broader question worth asking. The President, Ferdinand Adriano, and the Chairman, Olive Agustin, of Fort Trion Towers Condominium Corporation also sit on the boards of several other Robinsons Land Corporation-managed condominium corporations. Given that shared leadership, owners of those other properties have every right to ask a simple question: do their buildings currently hold valid Fire Safety Inspection Certificates, or not?
These are not accusations.
They are entirely reasonable questions arising from a documented compliance issue affecting thousands of residents.
Governance—not paperwork—is the real issue
The expired certificate is not, in itself, the biggest concern.
The bigger concern is governance.
Over recent months, I have submitted numerous written questions to the Board regarding financial reporting, governance and transparency.
Among those questions are:
● an apparent ₱36 million discrepancy in reported association dues revenue;
● a ₱41 million reduction in reserve funds;
● rapidly increasing receivables despite claims of exceptionally high collection rates;
● outstanding questions concerning developer obligations; and
● repeated requests for supporting documentation.
Every one of these questions may have a perfectly reasonable explanation.
If so, owners deserve to know it.
Instead, the response has largely been silence.
Then, while those questions remained unanswered, owners discovered the building had been operating for over six months without a valid Fire Safety Inspection Certificate.
The issue is no longer simply about accounting.
It is about whether the systems of governance themselves are functioning properly.
The Annual Members’ Meeting changed everything
At the first call of the Annual Members' Meeting June 27th, 2026, discussions took an unexpected turn.
One owner publicly alleged bullying and coercive behaviour toward the Property Management Office by members of the Board.
The same owner also raised allegations of corruption within the Board.
Those statements were made publicly during the meeting.
Whether those allegations are ultimately substantiated is a matter that should be determined by evidence.
However, the fact that such concerns are now being expressed openly by owners reflects a significant deterioration in confidence.
Trust cannot survive indefinitely without transparency.
Robinsons Land Corporation cannot ignore this
Some may argue that Trion Towers Condominium Corporation is legally separate from Robinsons Land Corporation.
Legally, that is true.
But governance cannot be viewed in isolation.
Robinsons Land Corporation drafted the Master Deed and By-Laws.
Robinsons Land Corporation appointed the initial Board.
Robinsons Land Corporation personnel continue to occupy key Board positions.
Those directors owe fiduciary duties to the Condominium Corporation.
When owners repeatedly ask legitimate questions and receive no substantive answers.
When financial concerns remain unresolved.
When a Fire Safety Inspection Certificate remains expired for more than six months.
The question is no longer whether owners have concerns.
The question is whether Robinsons Land Corporation believes its governance model is working as intended.
The questions every owner should now ask
This article is not simply about Trion Towers.
It is about every condominium in the Philippines.
Every owner should ask:
● Is our Fire Safety Inspection Certificate current?
● Are our elevators fully certified?
● Is our insurance policy current and adequate?
● Are sufficient reserve funds being built for future repairs?
● Does the Board answer reasonable questions?
● Are owners informed when serious compliance issues arise?
If you do not know the answers…
perhaps that is the first question that should concern you.
Trust is earned—not demanded
Good governance is built on transparency.
It requires directors to answer questions.
It requires timely disclosure.
It requires openness when problems arise.
Silence achieves the opposite.
Silence creates suspicion.
Silence erodes confidence.
Silence forces owners to investigate matters that should never have required investigation in the first place.
A question Robinsons Land Corporation should answer
Trion Towers is one of Robinsons Land Corporation’s flagship residential developments.
Thousands of families have entrusted the company—and the Board overseeing the Condominium Corporation—with their homes, their safety and one of the largest financial investments of their lives.
So perhaps the most important question is also the simplest:
How did a Robinsons Land Corporation development operate for more than six months without a valid Fire Safety Inspection Certificate, without owners being informed?
If there is a satisfactory explanation, owners deserve to hear it.
If governance failed, owners deserve honesty.
Either response would be preferable to silence.
Because transparency is not a courtesy.
It is the foundation upon which trust is built.
And once trust is lost, rebuilding it is far more difficult than renewing a certificate.
Author: CondoWatchPH, who is a unit owner at the Trion Towers, and a guest contributor to this website.
Views contained in the article is that of the author’s and does not reflect the views of thefortcity.com
