PB wants Guv to freeze land swap deal

The Cebu Provincial Board yesterday afternoon passed a resolution en masse requesting the governor to shelve the pending lot-swapping deal with the Cebu City government in view of the "painful and destructive statements" made by some members of the city council.

Yesterday morning, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said she was reviewing the options of the provincial government on how to dispose the Capitol-owned properties covered in PB Ordinance No. 93-1.

"Right now I am not really inclined to continue dealing with the city council. As I said, we are now reviewing our options and lot swapping is not one of them," she said.

Although Vice Mayor Michael Rama made a courtesy call to Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez at his office at around 10:30 a.m. yesterday, the latter simply allowed the vice mayor to say his apology with the same reasons stated all over again but was in effect rejected.

Sanchez told reporters after his meeting with Rama that when the vice mayor was already done stating his case, he then told him that there is no use tackling the issues surrounding the proposed lot-swapping deal because the PB was already set to pass a proposed measure to put off the deal during their regular session in the afternoon.

Sanchez explained to Rama there is no use prolonging the discussion through a joint session because it would further put the province in a bad light.

During the city council's regular session last March 8, councilor Jocelyn Pesquera questioned why properties already fully paid by its occupants were still included in the lot-swapping deal.

On March 15, Rama, in a privilege speech before the city council, said the lot-swapping deal would be at the advantage of provincial government because it is going to solve the latter's problem in collecting amortization dues from lot occupants who have not been able or who have no intention to pay.

This slighted not only the PB members but also the governor.

"The inquiries, concerns and privilege speech of its supposedly distinguished and dignified members were sarcastic utterances, painful insinuations, baseless accusations, wild projections, and dense predictions that most certainly insulted the integrity of this honorable body of the Provincial Government," the resolution sponsored and passed by all members of the PB read.

The approved resolution further said it hurt them that even without the slightest provocation and justifiable grounds, and despite full transparency and cooperation from the provincial government, the city council has suddenly treated the deal with unexplained and unreasonable suspicion.

It stated that although Rama offered an apology after "insulting and wounding the Province of Cebu" in a privilege speech, it saddened them that it was not rendered in the manner the affront was made.

"To hush all this brouhaha made by the Cebu City council, the Provincial Government in the spirit of quietude is hereby requesting the Governor to shelve the land-swap deal," it further read.

It is in this light also that the board did not push through with its plan to pass a resolution condemning the statements of Rama as had been agreed last week, according to PB member Victor Maambong.

Osmeña apparently was not happy with how things turned out, especially with the decision of the provincial board to end the swapping deal.

"It's a sad development. We tried to be greedy…what do we end up with, nothing!" Osmeña said, referring to the city council's refusal to heed the earlier agreement between Osmeña and the provincial government.

The council has yet to continue deliberation to make sure the deal to give up the P400 million worth of property in exchange for P183 million it will eventually collect from the occupants will not be questioned later on.

But the mayor said the way Rama presented the issue was "gross misrepresentation", especially when he issued the "reckless remarks" during his privilege speech in the council session.