Cebu City government wary on reaching pact with Ting on lot purchase

The Cebu City government is wary on entering into an agreement with businessman Roque Ting on the purchase of his property inside the South Reclamation Project because the question regarding its legality is still unsolved.

An executive session was conducted by the Cebu City Council yesterday morning to settle the issue whether Ting's property is really a lot or is underwater. Areas that are underwater, according to the law, is public in nature and could not be owned by a private individual except when a special ruling is issued.

Ting is laying claim to a 4,222 square-meter lot, which is affected by the SRP, situated in sitio Sawsawan, barangay San Roque, Talisay City.

Sammy Darza, former Metro Cebu Development Project chairman, argued that Ting's property was actually underwater, which was reclaimed later on.

But Talisay City assessor Alma Abellanosa, who was invited to the executive session, believed that there was actually a lot even before the SRP was created, explaining that the creek, made by the Department of Public Works and Highways, cuts through Ting's property.

At least 1,634 square meters of the 4,222 square-meter property owned by Ting situated within the SRP and he wants the city to purchase the entire lot for P9 million.

A Memorandum of Agreement signed by Darza, then Project Director of MCDP, and Ting on September 7, 1997 stated that Cebu City "shall file an expropriation proceeding for the acquisition" of the lot. It also said that the city government is willing to exchange its properties with Ting's lot affected by its project.

But Ting filed a case before the city government because the latter did not pay him for the use of his property and for the demolition of his rest house and two warehouses.

The city government asked Abellanosa copies of Ting's tax declaration and lot plan in order to determine whether it is legal to pay Ting the amount of his property. - Liv G. Campo