Capitol wants more than just P500M in 93-1 deal

CEBU, Philippines – In an effort to resolve the 22-year-old 93-1 issue, the Capitol has agreed to the P500-million offer of the Cebu City government to purchase the lots, but added that it also wants a prime property at the North Reclamation Area.

The property was the same property that the city offered in a land-swap deal with the province when Tomas Osmeña was mayor and 3rd district Representative Gwendolyn Garcia was governor.

"The Cebu Provincial Government...,by way of counter-proposal, asks: (1) that the Cebu City Government pays up front the P500 million...and (2) that a piece of land owned by the Cebu City Government be transferred to the Provincial Government as part of the compensation package," read Governor Hilario Davide III's two-page letter to Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama.

The letter, which was received by Rama's office at 4:27 p.m. yesterday, was made after Capitol officials headed by Davide convened Friday afternoon for a special meeting on Capitol-owned lots covered by Provincial Ordinance 93-1.

Davide said Cebu City's P500-million offer is "not enough" for the 93-1 lots totaling 32 hectares. Approved in 1993, PO 93-1 authorized the governor to sell its various lots in Cebu City to the informal settlers occupying them. However, 22 years after, 32 of the 51 hectares covered by the measure have remained unpaid, according to the Capitol's Technical Working Group.

Non-payment by the occupants prompted Garcia to issue eviction notices. Osmeña responded by offering the NRA property in exchange for the 93-1 lots. The land-swap deal fell through after Rama, then the city vice mayor, questioned whether the agreement was fair to the city.

Garcia and Osmeña exchanged unpleasant statements in public as a result, with their political relationship remaining sour up to this day.

Subdivided into 4,364 home lots the 93-1 lots are located in the Cebu City barangays of Kamputhaw, Capitol Site, Kalunasan, Busay, Luz, Lahug, Mabolo, Apas, Lorega San Miguel, Kasambagan, and Tejero.

Recently, City Hall offered P500 million for the properties.

The TWG, however, said that the assessed value of the 32 hectares as of 2001 was pegged at P2.9 billion;, however, with the many informal settlers occupying the lots, "the most fair and just compensation" for these has depreciated to P1.8 billion.

And since P500 million is not enough for the 93-1 lots, the Capitol also wanted the 3.3-hectare NR lot worth P1.3 billion,

That lot, Davide said, or a portion of the South Road Properties, particularly Pond A, or "some other place."

"We believe nga fair and just (ang offer). Like Cebu City, ang province duna gyuy social responsibility sa atong constituents," the governor said.

He said he hopes that the city government would agree to their offer; if not they are willing to discuss and negotiate it with them.

"I hope magkatagboay gyud mi. (If not), we are ready with our team...in case of negotiation," he said.

"Both governments are firm in our resolve nga mahuman ni after 22 years," he added.

At City Hall, Rama said he has already read the Capitol’s counter-proposal but he declined to comment on it, except to say that he will never allow politics to muddle this sensitive undertaking.

“I don’t want politics to be part of it. It’s either we forget about discussing if politics should be part of it or open up to solve it and remove politics,” he said.

He said he asked city Department for the Welfare of the Urban Poor chief Collin Rosell to draft a communication in response to the counter-proposal.

Rama earlier said that he does not to want to change the city’s proposal.

Asked on the SRP lot, Rama said “I do not want to add up because SRP is a different figure.”

“I do not want to call it as an answer (to the province’s counter-proposal). I am still looking at other things to do so that we can limit,” he said.

Earlier, Rama said that the province should not change its mind since they have been in agreement during the consultative meetings attended by Davide, Rosell, former Cebu governor Vicente “Tingting” de la Serna, Vice Governor Agnes Magpale, and Cebu City Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella. – /RHM (FREEMAN)