Official boundaries of Tejero, Carreta set

The Cebu City government has completed delineating the official boundaries of barangays Tejero and Carreta, the first two covered by the city’s five-year program to establish official boundaries to prevent jurisdictional disputes.

Cebu City Planning and Development Coordinator Nigel Paul Villarete said it took his office several months to complete the survey on Tejero and Carreta, notwithstanding the fact that there are still 78 more barangays to work on.

Villarete’s office noted that barangay Tejero has an area of 402,469 square meters while barangay Caretta has 794,558 square meters.

The move to formally establish official boundaries came about last year following the controversial boundary dispute between barangays Lahug, Busay, Apas, Luz, and Camputhaw.

The dispute was centered primarily on who has jurisdiction- and who could claim a share of the tax revenue- from the areas occupied by the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, the Marco Polo Plaza Hotel, the Asiatown IT Park and the Grand Convention Center.

Barangay Busay wants to claim Marco Polo while Apas believes it should have Asiatown IT Park’s taxes. Meanwhile, barangay Camputhaw had insisted the Parklane International Hotel should be declared within its territory.

Earlier, Lahug Barangay Captain Mary Ann de los Santos said the claims made by Lahug’s neighboring barangay should be studied by the City Council with impartiality.

De los Santos had feared the decision would favor barangay Luz because its officials are supporters of Mayor Tomas Osmeña.

De los Santos has been a staunch critic of Osmeña and was defeated by the mayor when she ran against him in last year’s elections. — Jasmin R. Uy/JMO