Binay vows help for 93-1 lot occupants

CEBU, Philippines - Vice President Jejomar Binay has assured those staying in lots covered by Cebu Provincial Ordinance No. 93-1 of his “commitment to provide technical and financial assistance.”

In an August 22 letter to Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III, Binay said he will help “to enable the actual occupants to purchase the said lots.”

He expressed willingness to involve the Housing and Urban Development  Coordinating  Council  (HUDCC), Social Housing Finance Corporation (SHFC), and the Pag-IBIG Fund to be part of the technical working group (TWG) that the province has created.

Binay heads the said shelter agencies, whose housing programs could be tapped to provide for the assistance he promised.

“HUDCC, SHFC, and Pag-IBIG Fund will be more than willing to be part of the TWG to expedite the disposition of the lots,” read part of the letter.

He also urged Davide to “study and consider the request of homeowners association (HOAs) for an adjustment of the high price of the land under their expired memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the province and subsequently endorse the matter to the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.”

Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, a close political ally of Binay, yesterday told reporters that staff members of the Office of the Vice President recently came to Cebu “to discuss with the governor the long-standing issue on 93-1”.

The Cebu Provincial Government is expected to earn P1.5 billion should Davide pursue the scheme for the disposal of the 93-1 lots in Cebu City.

During the time of then governor and now third district Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia, 19 HOAs from different Cebu City barangays signed an agreement for the sale of a lot with a total area of 155,979.41 square meters.

The scheme was for Pag-ibig to help the beneficiaries pay the obligation to the Province so that the Capitol would no longer be the collecting agency.

Occupants of 93-1 lots in Barangay Luz, Cebu City, however, have asked the governor to reduce the price Garcia previously set during her term of office.

The lot was priced between P2,133.33 per square meter to P13,960 per square meter depending on the location of the property.

Davide had said he has to take the matter up with the Provincial Board and create the TWG, which would look into the matter with representatives from his office and the HOAs.

Yesterday, Rama said he also told the vice president to also look into the law which allows a purchaser of real property to pay by installment when the transaction gets cancelled because of delinquencies.  (FREEMAN)