De los Santos deals directly with Capitol

CEBU – Lahug barangay captain Mary Ann delos Santos admitted she is now having initial talks with the Cebu provincial government to have the lots that are presently covered by the Provincial Ordinance 93-1 be sold to the beneficiaries.

“It is the thrust of my administration to give home to the homeless and give land to the landless,” said Delos Santos in an interview with The FREEMAN.

According to her, both parties are trying to come up with a good working system for her constituents to become legal owners of the lots that are within the jurisdiction of Lahug.

There are 1,400 households in Lahug occupying the Capitol-owned lots.

These households in Lahug are scattered in Salinas St., Maracas, Anapog, Brookside Valley, Sudlon, Bayanihan, Arco, Kamagong, Sto. Niño-Tesda, NGA and Nivel Hills.

In the entire city, there are a total of 4,358 families that are covered by Provincial Ordinance 93-1 and only 1,440 of them have so far paid their obligation to the provincial government.

The delinquent payers are now under threat of eviction following the so-called “word war” between the top officials of the Capitol and City Hall.

The animosity between Governor Gwen Garcia and Mayor Tomas Osmeña started after the failure of negotiations on the supposed land swap deal.

Because of this, the province has decided to deal directly with the occupants rather than the city government.

Osmeña said that it does not matter to him if the Capitol will not coordinate with him, adding he just want to ensure his constituents that he is just behind their back “but with a stick.”

“I will not allow my constituents to be evicted,” Osmeña said. — Mitchelle L. Palaubsanon/WAB (THE FREEMAN)