Decades of setbacks end: 93-1 lot issue now resolved

CEBU, Philippines — After decades of back-and-forth negotiations between the government and residents of the province-owned 93-1 lots in Cebu City, the issue has finally been settled, with the Pag-IBIG Fund turning over P22.3 million in checks for the lots occupied by 16 beneficiaries to the Cebu provincial government.

This came after the Pag-IBIG Fund purchased the Capitol-owned lots for the 16 beneficiaries who are given 20 to 30 years to pay.

At the same time, the provincial government turned over 16 deeds of absolute sale to the beneficiaries during the “Kaliwaan” ceremony yesterday, April 2, 2025.

The provincial government prepared the deeds of sale in favor of the occupants, ensuring compliance and mutual accountability.

“Mao na ni ang pinakamaangayon nga solusyon,” said Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, explaining as well that the lot owned by the province cannot just be given away for free to Cebu City residents.

“Di man sad na mahimo nga ipanghatag lang na nako ang yuta sa probinsiya kay daghan pud ta og taga probinsiya nga way mga yuta,” said the governor.

Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia told city residents occupying the 93-1 lots to grab the opportunity to finally have their own land.

“Karong adlawa is a historic day kay karong adlawa mag-Kaliwaan na gyud wherein ang Pag-IBIG mohatag na sa cheke nga ilang paliton ang yuta gikan sa probinsiya sa Sugbo unya sila nay tag-iya ila na sad ibaligya didto sa katawhan nga namuyo atong mga balaya ug kadtong mga luna-a," Mayor Garcia said.

"This will be the beginning of a situation wherein you will finally own your land and you will finally have a title to your land. So, this just shows that with cooperation, tinabangay, makab-ot gyud diay nato ang ato-ang mga pangandoy,” added the Mayor.

Pag-IBIG Fund Cebu Housing Business head Wilmer Lizaran said that of the 4,000 occupants of the province-owned lot, around 300 occupants have applied for a loan before the Pag-IBIG Fund.

He said that of the 300 applicants, so far, only 38 were approved.

Of the 38, only 16 applicants had their loans released yesterday, amounting to P22.3 million.

Some of the recipients personally received their deeds of sale from the governor and the mayor, together with Pag-IBIG Fund officials.

Those whose applications were denied were mainly rejected due to a lack of capacity to pay.

However, some applicants were disapproved due to missing requirements. They are still given a chance to comply with such requirements.

Lizaran explained to the applicants that for those whose loans are approved, if they cannot pay for three months, the lot will not automatically be taken from them, as they will still be given a chance to pay through various methods such as loan restructuring.

Also, those who have already applied for a loan but were denied due to lack of capacity may get at least two co-borrowers who have the capacity to pay for their loan to be approved.

The governor said that the occupants of the province-owned lot have been living in the area for decades without any payment, and it is but proper this time for the occupants to pay for the lot they are occupying.

The lot presently occupied by the residents could cost as much as P73,000 per square meter, depending on the location, said Lizaran.

The governor said that the 93-1 issue has been used by several politicians in the past, promising that the lot would be given for free to the occupants.

“Gigamit ra mo pirmi,” the governor told the residents.

"Dili man makiangayon nga ihatag nato og libre kay di baya ni akong yuta, gipanag-iya ni sa mga probinsyano ug probinsyana nga tua nagpuyo sa Alcoy, sa Santander, sa Pilar, unya akoa lang ipanghatag diri sa siyudad nga wa gani ko nakahatag nila didto sa siyudad," she said.

The governor has given the lot occupants a deadline to apply for a loan with the Pag-IBIG Fund last month. — /ATO (FREEMAN)