Hopes high for 93-1 deal

CEBU, Philippines — After more than a decade of uncertainty, occupants of Cebu Province-owned lots under Provincial Ordinance 93-1 may already be seeing the light at the end of the tunnel.

This was after Cebu City Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia expressed recently that there is a major development this January 2025 for them, as arrangements with the Cebu Provincial Government and Pag-IBIG Fund are set to be finalized already.

Residents have been clamoring for a new agreement with the Capitol after the Provincial Board revoked a land-swap deal between Cebu Province and Cebu City over the 93-1 lots.

City Council members, however, questioned the revocation, arguing that it wasn't a consensus of both parties, particularly Cebu City.

Garcia said that regardless of this fact, the land-swap agreement cannot be implemented if the other party is no longer on board. He said the Cebu Provincial Government had already withdrawn from that agreement through a board resolution.

The Cebu Provincial Board (PB) had revoked the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) March last year as well as the deeds of donation entered into between the Provincial Government and the City Government concerning the lots under Provincial Ordinance 93-1.

The PB cited the “defective” lot donations and the failed land-swap negotiations between the two local government units, as reasons for the revocation.

“So, realistically, it’s really difficult to implement when one party is not on board. So I beg to have an opinion on the matter; now it’s really difficult for us to implement the (land-swap) deal,” Garcia said in a press conference this week.

He, however, clarified that despite this, a solution is already being worked out and is set to be implemented this January.

He said Pag-IBIG already expressed willingness to pay for the 93-1 lots while the occupants would pay the amortization. Pag-IBIG Fund had previously been hesitant to release funding to the Provincial Government for the purchase of the properties.

 “PAGIBIG will pay the Provincial Government, and then we’ll just receive the payment and sell the property to the occupants. They will pay for 25 to 30 years,” Garcia said.

He said that Pag-IBIG IS under a mandate that when someone takes out a housing loan, the title should be transferred to the borrower—in this case, the Cebu Province.

“Pero niingon ang probinsya nga unsaon man nato pag-transfer ana nga di pa man ni bayad in full? Mapriso ang gobernador ana nga imong i-transfer wa pa mabayri in full ang Provincial Government,” the mayor said.

But, he said, an agreement is now being worked out that Pag-IBIG would correspondingly issue a check for the said 93-1 lots.

“So naa na gyuy kaliwaan. So safe ang Provincial Government, at the same time okay na sad ang Pag-IBIG kay napirmahan naman ang contract to sell. Kuhaon nasad ang title, siya na ang mo-process ato,” Garcia said.

This, he said, essentially allows the 93-1 residents to pay for the lot gradually through Pag-IBIG.

This, he further said, has already been addressed and that he is hopeful that by January, Cebu Province can finally sign the contract to sell, with Pag-IBIG bridging both parties.

Last Nov. 25, Garcia appealed for Pag-IBIG to make considerations for the residents of 93-1 so they can qualify for the housing loan and its requirements.

To recall, in Dec. 2016, then-Mayor Osmeña and then-governor and now Vice Governor Hilario Davide III, signed a MOA for a land swap between the City and the Province, covering 32 hectares of province-owned lots under Ordinance 93-1, located in several Cebu City barangays.

The lots subject to the agreement also included 1.5 hectares in the Department of Agriculture compound along M. Velez St.; 2,358 square meters along Gorordo Ave. in Barangay Lahug; and 577 square meters along Don Gil Garcia St. in Barangay Capitol Site.

The 93-1 beneficiaries are from barangays Kamputhaw, Capitol Site, Kalunasan, Busay, Luz, Lahug, Mabolo, Apas, Lorega San Miguel, Kasambagan, and Tejero. (CEBU NEWS)