CPAC to finalize lot valuation for 93-1 land swap

CEBU, Philippines — Members of the Cebu Provincial Appraisal Committee (CPAC) are set to meet next week to finalize the valuation of lots covered by the proposed land swap deal with the Cebu City government in a bid to resolve the long-running 93-1 controversy.

The meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, August 26.

The provincial government has already completed the appraisal of the properties, a contentious issue that has delayed the deal for decades.

Provincial Assessor Michelle Languido said many beneficiaries have expressed concern over the high valuation pegged by the Pag-IBIG Fund based on the fair market value of the lots.

 Ang problema man gud sa beneficiaries kay dili sila ka-afford because of the high values pegged by the Pag-IBIG Fund,  Languido said in an interview.

Governor Pamela Baricuatro earlier ordered a review of the appraisal following complaints from settlers. Instead of selling the properties directly to beneficiaries through Pag-IBIG loans, both the provincial and city governments agreed to revive the land-swap option.

Languido said the CPAC decided to adopt the Pag-IBIG appraisal to ensure fairness between the province and the city.

 The values for the 93-1, we adopted also the appraisal of the Pag-IBIG. The CPAC already convened and we decided to adopt kay that is to be fair sa Cebu City kay crucial man ang value sa 93-1, so ang controlling factor ra namo nga gihatagan namo og values ang kadtong swapping for the City,  she explained.

She added that the final valuation will be presented to Cebu City s appraisal committee.

The 93-1 property covers 51 hectares across 11 barangays in Cebu City: Busay, Luz, Lahug, Mabolo, Apas, Lorega, Kasambagan, Capitol Site, Tejero, Kamputhaw, and Kalunasan.

In exchange, Cebu City has offered lands in the South Road Properties (SRP), North Reclamation Area (NRA), and a portion in Consolacion.

The 93-1 case dates back to a 1993 ordinance of Cebu Province that granted long-time occupants of Capitol-owned lots in Cebu City the opportunity to own the land they were occupying. However, most beneficiaries failed to settle payments within the specified period, even after repeated extensions.

In 2018, then governor Hilario Davide III and then Cebu City mayor Tomas Osme a signed a land-swap agreement that provided a framework for transferring the 93-1 lots to the city. Under the deal, Cebu City would acquire ownership of the lots while turning over key properties needed by the province for its operations.

The agreement was rescinded in 2019 by then governor Gwendolyn Garcia, who instead allowed the Pag-IBIG Fund to step in by granting loans to beneficiaries. Pag-IBIG paid ?22.3 million to the Capitol for 16 beneficiaries, who were given 20 to 30 years to pay.

With the election of Baricuatro and Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival earlier this year, the land-swap proposal has been revived, with both leaders committed to finally resolving the decades-old issue.   FPL (CEBU NEWS)