Mandaue fully pays for CICC

CEBU, Philippines — The city government of Mandaue has paid the provincial government the final P100 million for the P300 million deal for the purchase of the Cebu International Convention Center (CICC).

Capitol received the final payment last week, a year after it sealed the sale contract with Mandaue in August 2017.

CICC was a major venue during the 2007 ASEAN Summit but was damaged in 2013 after the magnitude 7.2 earthquake and super typhoon Yolanda. It was declared later as inoperable.

The 38,000-square-meter facility was also a subject of an Ombudsman case filed against former governor Gwendolyn Garcia for alleged violations of the procurement law and anti-graft law.

Deputy Ombudsman for the Visayas Paul Elmer Clemente said, however, that the cases will not affect the rights of the province to utilize the facility.

“Such matters would not have any diminishing effect on the right of the Cebu Province and Mandaue City to use CICC and the land on which the facility is built,” Clemente wrote.

The absolute deed of sale was signed by Governor Hilario Davide III and City Mayor Luigi Quisumbing last Tuesday, August 28, according to suspended Provincial Assistant Treasurer Manuel Guial who supervised the monetary aspect of the deal.

Mandaue City is eyeing at developing the CICC into an economic zone.

Meanwhile, Salubre said there is no development yet on the proposed sale of the Balili property, another controversial real property of the provincial government.

Like CICC, the Balili property is a subject of a case. Even if the Ombudsman already released its decision on the back filing of the property, the respondents still have the legal remedy to take the case to a higher court. The case on the purchase of the property is also yet to be resolved.

Davide is leaning toward accepting the proposal of Naga City to purchase the property at P100 million.

In earlier interviews, Naga City Mayor Kristine Chiong confirmed that her office has received the draft of the Memorandum of Agreement the Capitol prepared for the planned sale.

In 2008, the provincial government bought the Balili property at P99,698,400. This amount does not include what the province spent for backfilling the lot.

Restoration works reportedly reached P27 million. This puts the value of the Balili property at P126 million. (FREEMAN)