City government keen on buying lot for homeowners association

CEBU, Philippines - The Mandaue City Council wants to study the proposal allowing the city government to purchase the 3,500-square-meter lot being occupied by a homeowners association in Barangay Tipolo.

Vice Mayor Carlo Pontico Fortuna said he will refer to the council committee on laws and ordinances, committee on assets and the committee on socialized housing whether there is legal obstacles in buying the lot in Lower Tipolo intended for the proposed low-cost housing of San Vicente Ferrer Lower Tipolo Homeowners Association Incorporated (SVFLHAI).

During the council’s recent regular session, Fortuna said the City Appraisal Committee appraised the lot with an area of 9,501 square meters, 3,500 square meters of which will be used for the proposed low-cost housing of the homeowners association.

The lot is privately-owned by Rene Espina and Rufinita Remollo.

City assessor Richard Flores said the appraised value of the property is P5,190 per square meter. This means, Flores said that if the city will purchase the property, an appropriation of P18.165 million is needed.

Flores said the City Legal Office already endorsed the proposal to the Community Affairs of the Housing Unit and Development Office to either offer or intervene in the purchase of the lot since the city cannot provide informal settlers-families with in-city relocation.

The city has only two relocation sites - the 6.5 hectares in Barangay Paknaan and the 9.2 hectares in barangays Guizo and Mantuyong.

The 6.5-hectare relocation site is already being occupied by more or less 1,200 beneficiaries coming from the city’s danger zones. The beneficiaries have already availed themselves of a loan from the National Socialized Housing Finance Corp. for the acquisition of a P250,000 worth of house and lot. The loan is payable within 25 years with a monthly amortization of P1,500 per month.

The 9.2-hectare relocation site in barangays Guizo and Mantuyong is intended for the fire victims in the area, which are temporarily residing at the Cebu International Convention Center.

Mayor Gabriel Luis Quisumbing said the city has no government site for informal settlers, the reason why he is planning to purchase a property in the neighboring towns of Consolacion and Liloan or in Lapu-Lapu City. (FREEMAN)