DND to return lots to provincial government

CEBU, Philippines —  Authorities from the Armed Forces of the Philippines Central Command (AFP-Centcom) and the Department of National Defense (DND) are set to turn over the remaining 31 parcels of lots they currently occupy in Camp Lapu-Lapu in Barangay Apas, Cebu City on Monday to the provincial government.

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia shared the news with reporters on Thursday and said that President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. would grace the turnover ceremony on Monday.

Marcos will be in Cebu on Monday for the groundbreaking ceremony of the Department of Transportation's (DOTr) Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project.

"I said it will be your legacy that a long-drawn struggle to get back these lots will finally be over. The Cebuanos will be eternally grateful to you (Marcos)," said Garcia.

In October last year, the DND turned over at least 17.5 hectares covering an initial 16 of the 47 parcels of lots of the 80 hectares of land it occupied in Camp Lapu-Lapu.

Garcia said the acquired lots would be developed to raise more revenues for the province by putting up well-planned establishments.

She also intended to provide more open areas, such as parks.

Urban poor housing

Earlier, Apas Barangay Captain Virgil Cabigon said that he and his citizens would contest the province’s claim, saying that the households situated in two lots in Sitio Central Apas, Lots 950 and 1035, have been under a compromise agreement made after a review of the status and implementation of Presidential Proclamation (PP) 409.

It was signed by then DND Secretary Delfin Lorenzana, the Cebu City Government, and the Cebu Provincial Government back in 2019.

PP 409 was issued by the former President, now Pampanga congresswoman Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, declaring the 30 hectares of the area, currently AFP Viscom situated in Barangay Apas, as a socialized housing site.

It is said that after the issuance of the said proclamation, the residents in the area were waiting for the DND to give up its claim on the lots that would allow them to buy the properties that are spread across five sitios.

Garcia said the province would assume the limitations covered under PP409.

"We will assume what is the limitation on the 30 hectares as covered under Presidential Proclamation 409 kay total ang court ni-ingon naman nga presyo ni-ana it would be for the province to determine," said Garcia.

Relocation

Garcia said that the Capitol would give a lump sum amount for CentCom's new headquarters' construction instead of replicating the camp during a meeting she had with the DND in November last year.

The target relocation site is a 1,050-hectare property between the municipalities of Tuburan and Tabuelan.

Garcia said the area would serve as CentCom's ammunition dump.

She added that the Philippine Navy would return a lot they owned in Lapu-Lapu City, while the 53rd engineer brigade of the Philippine Army would be transferred to their lot in Medellin.

1959 donation, violation

The 80-hectare lot in Camp Lapu-Lapu was originally donated by the Cebu Province to the then 3rd Military Area on October 12, 1959, granting a condition that it would be used for military purposes only.

It later became the AFP Central Command (Centcom) headquarters, which was renamed the Visayas Command (Viscom).

But former Governor Pablo Garcia, Governor Gwen's father, revoked the donation in 1995, as it was found out that only 14 lot portions were used for military purposes, and the remaining areas served as a golf driving range and residential sites for military personnel and informal settlers, among others.

In 2005, Gwen, freshly hailed as the new Cebu governor, filed an ejection case against Centcom to reclaim the lots and sought intervention from the Executive Branch by entering into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with former defense secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr. in 2007.

The MOU stated that the Provincial Government would allocate funds for the facilities and infrastructure construction for the military and the DND at their new location in northern Cebu, and Centcom was to return the initial 16 lots to the province.

But Centcom objected and raised the case to court, and the Supreme Court declared Capitol's ownership of the lots in 2019. — GAN (FREEMAN)