Bidders of 14 prime lots warned

CEBU, Philippines — The legal team of the apparent Cebu gubernatorial race winner Gwendolyn Garcia has warned prospective bidders not to buy the 14 province-owned lots amounting to P500 million to avoid legal repercussions.

The bidding of the lots totaling to 1.4 hectares is dubbed by Atty. Marino Martinquilla as "midnight sale.”

The properties that are up for sale are 11 parcels of land at the Maria Luisa Estate Subdivision totaling 11,246 square meters; a 3,203-square-meter property in New Era, Barangay Mabolo; a 1,104-square-meter in Barangay Kamputhaw, and a 63-square-meter lot in Nivel Hills, Barangay Busay,  all in Cebu City.

Lawyers Martinquilla, Manolette Dinsay, and Lito Astillero, in a press conference yesterday, cautioned interested buyers against participating in the tomorrow’s bidding, which was set by the Special Committee for the Disposal of Province-owned Real Properties.

 Astillero also appealed to the incumbent provincial board members not to give Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III the authority to sale the properties.

"The governor-elect (Garcia) will surely fight tooth and nail nga dili ni mabaligya ang 1.4 hectares lot. We also warned the committee nga palihug lang ayaw mo pagamit. Ayaw ninyo isugal ang inyong professional career," said Astillero.

As this story was written at 5:30 p.m. yesterday, the Provincial Board of Canvassers had not declared winners in the gubernatorial race.

But based on the data from the Comelec transparency server, which were cascaded to various media outfits and published online, Garcia led by a margin of 287,894 votes.

Garcia, the incumbent Cebu third district representative, got 884,365 votes compared to Vice Governor Magpale's 596,471 after 99.73 percent of all election returns had been processed.

As for the vice gubernatorial race, Davide, obtained 778,285 against Daphne Salimbangon's 617,289 or a lead of 160,996. — KBQ (FREEMAN)