New execs to review 93-1 deal, revisit Ciudad project

CEBU, Philippines —  Returning governor Gwendolyn Garcia wants to form a committee that will review the documents signed by the Cebu province and Cebu City for the 93-1 land swap deal.

She, however, said she does see any problem with it, so far.

“I will look into how everything was put into. I believe there’s no problem as this was done in the most orderly and according to procedures,” Garcia said yesterday during her unity and solidarity meeting with mayor-elect Edgardo Labella.

Labella nodded in agreement as Garcia was speaking. He said later that the Cebu City Council gave Mayor Tomas Osmeña the authority to sign the Deed of Donation and Acceptance with Governor Hilario Davide III.

The deed, which was signed in August 2018, would enable the legal transfer of the lots involved in the land swap deal.

“The important thing is now, we can sit down together. Mahimo naming magka-istoryahay ug mabatbat ang mga problema’ng giatubang (The most important thing now is that we can sit down together, talk, and discuss the problems we face),” Garcia said.

In 1993, the province approved Provincial Ordinance No. 93-1, which provides a scheme for Cebu City residents to pay monthly amortization for them to own the province-owned lots they have been staying at for years.

The 93-1 deal has 5,000 beneficiaries living in Barangays Kamputhaw, Capitol Site, Kalunasan, Busay, Luz, Lahug, Mabolo, Apas, Lorega, San Miguel, Kasambagan, and Tejero in Cebu City.

The deal also means 32.4 hectares of lots covered by Provincial Ordinance 93-1 are now owned by the city. Meanwhile, several of the city’s properties are now owned by the province, including, among others, a 2.5-hectare lot at the South Road Properties (SRP); a 13,711 square-meter lot where the Sewerage Treatment Plant is located; a 2,475 lot at the North Reclamation Area; a nine-hectare property in Pulpogan, Consolacion; and a 3.3-hectare lot at the North Reclamation Area.

Osmeña said last year that the whole process of sealing the land swap deal involved many legal and political struggles since the time of former Cebu governor Emilio Mario Osmeña Jr.

In 2007, during the time of former mayor Michael Rama, the city government aborted the land swap deal after then governor Garcia felt insulted by the “dawat limpyo” remark of Rama who contended that the deal was disadvantageous to the city government.

CIUDAD

Meanwhile, Garcia and Labella also agreed to revisit the Ciudad project, a mixed-use development plan on a 2.8-hectare lot owned by the province in Barangay Apas.

The project was supposed to be the first commercial and heritage development but Osmeña opposed the project as it would cause traffic gridlock along the Banilad-Talamban road.

Garcia hopes that the province and the city, with the proponents of the project, can re-negotiate and discuss the “worthwhile” project.

Labella, for his part, said anything he will do as chief executive will have the authority from the City Council.

Vice mayor-elect Michael Rama, outgoing Councilors Joel Garganera, Jose Dalu III, Pastor Alcover, Jr., and Jocelyn Pesquera; re-elected Councilors Raymond Alvin Garcia and Eduardo Rama, Jr., and Councilors-elect Phillip Zafra, Dondon Hontiveros, and Antonio Cuenco were present at the dialogue.

Newly elected Board Members Glenn Soco, Edsel Galeos, Christopher Baricuatro, Victoria Corominas-Toribio, Andrei Red Duterte, and Yolanda Daan, as well as newly elected representatives Pablo John Garcia, Janice Salimbangon, and outgoing congressman Benhur Salimbangon were also present. -  JMO (FREEMAN)