Rody wants low-cost housing built on Mile Long

CEBU, Philippines - President Duterte yesterday vowed to build low-cost houses for the poor from the proceeds of the sale of a Makati property being controlled by owners of the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the newspaper he accused of being biased against him. 

During the oath taking of new appointees at Malacañang, Duterte accused the Prieto and Rufino families, owners of the Inquirer, of swindling for supposedly refusing to give up the government’s Mile Long property.  

“The owners of the newspaper editorialize, portraying people in government as thieves. Leche ka (d**n you). You hostaged a government property for so long a time and collected the rentals there,” Duterte said.

“That is swindling. Ask the lawyers, it has reverted to government when the lease ended. So any amount that you collect from the properties, these should be surrendered to the government, to the national treasurer, because that is public money,” he added.   

The Chief Executive said the money collected from the rentals has already reached billions.  

“You rich people, you are hanging on to a lot of things that are government-owned. Surrender Mile Long. I will sell it. I promise you, I will build as many houses as the money can accommodate,” Duterte said, adding he would also use the proceeds to provide houses for the soldiers.

“I commit that to the nation, to all Filipinos who are listening. I will build houses for the poor.” 

Duterte said the Inquirer can no longer criticize him because of the alleged wrongdoings of its owners.  

“How can you criticize me for what, corruption?” he said, adding an expletive.

“I’ll pay you if you prove that I steal something, even one spoon.”?Duterte believes the Rufinos and Prietos got the Mile Long prime lot because of a sweetheart deal with previous administrations. 

The government and state-run National Power Corp. (Napocor) leased the lot to the Technology Resource Center Foundation Inc. for 25 years until 2002. 

The Technology Resource Center Foundation subleased the property to Sunvar Realty Development Corp., a company owned by the Prietos and Rufinos. The realty firm then put up commercial establishments Premier Cinema, Mile Long Arcade, Makati Creekside Building, Gallery Building and Sunvar Plaza.