Fearing another "Rallos case" Rama: Research Banilad road lot

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama has initially tasked the City Administrator’s Office to conduct a thorough research on the property that a private owner is recently demanding payment for after finding out that a portion of it is occupied by a city road.Rama said they cannot act on the demand of the owner for just compensation without knowing first the history of the property that will explain why it was converted into a road lot.

By the looks of it, a city hall official said it might become another “Rallos” case that might haunt the city for the next decade just like the current case involving the Rallos heirs that the city has not given up yet.

The subject property covers a part of J. Panis Street in barangay Banilad near the Cebu Memorial Park.

The owners who wrote the mayor twice in January and March this year said that their property covered by the road lot has a total area of 745 square meters.

The owner said that the property has a value of P33.5 million by now with P45,000 per square meter.

The owner has offered a usufruct agreement but threatened that if they do not hear from the city soon, they will resort to legal action and demand just compensation.

The subject lot has reportedly been reconveyed in favor of the heirs of the original owners in a Supreme Court resolution dated February 2011. After the court ruled in their favor, they had the lot surveyed and found out that a portion has been converted into a road lot.

Rama wants to know the history of the property because it might be like the Rallos property that was donated to the city government for the use of a road lot in the past yet the heirs are demanding payment.

The city government has a similar claim from the heirs of Fr. Vicente Rallos with a pending litigation in court. The court has asked the city to pay the Rallos heirs P133 million which the city government is still fighting over. – (FREEMAN)