TWGs on 93-1, Viscom lots created

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro has institutionalized two Technical Working Groups (TWGs) through separate executive orders to address major provincial concerns involving the development of Camp Lapu-Lapu, headquarters of the Visayas Command, and the long-standing issues surrounding the 93-1 lots.

Executive Order No. 31 and Executive Order No. 32, Series of 2026, establish mechanisms aimed at strengthening coordination, technical planning, and policy formulation for two priority initiatives of the provincial government.

Under Executive Order No. 32, the Provincial Government formally created a TWG under the Task Force on the 93-1 Lots and Other Provincial Occupied Lots to provide technical and policy support.

 The order cited Executive Order No. 4, Series of 2025, which earlier established the Task Force, noting the complexity of legal, technical, urban planning, socialized housing, and policy issues surrounding the provincial properties.

“The complexity of the legal, technical, urban planning, socialized housing, and policy issues… necessitates the creation of a dedicated Technical Working Group,” the order stated.

The TWG will be chaired by Provincial Legal Office (PLO) head Atty. Guiler Ceniza, with Investments and Promotions Officer Paulo S. Uy serving as co-chairperson.

Members include Provincial Board Members Raymond Joseph D. Calderon, Lakambini G. Reluya, and Andrei Duterte, along with Provincial Planning and Development Office head Nerces D. Bispo, Provincial Assessor Michelle Languido, and Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office head Marirose Lopez.

The TWG is tasked to conduct technical and legal studies, consolidate land records and cadastral data, and coordinate with stakeholders and government agencies.

It will also formulate policy recommendations, draft agreements, and prepare implementation frameworks for consideration by the Task Force and the Office of the Governor.

The Provincial Legal Office will serve as the secretariat, providing administrative and technical support for the TWG’s operations.

The 93-1 controversy traces its roots to a 1993 provincial ordinance that granted long-time settlers of Capitol-owned lots in Cebu City the opportunity to purchase the land they had been occupying.

However, despite repeated extensions, most beneficiaries failed to complete payments within the prescribed period, leaving ownership unresolved for years.

Meanwhile, Executive Order No. 31 creates a Provincial Technical Working Group (PTWG) for the development of Camp Lapu-Lapu, headquarters of the Visayas Command of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.

The order recognizes the camp’s strategic role in national defense, disaster response, humanitarian assistance, and regional security in the Visayas.

The PTWG will be chaired by Uy of the Economic Enterprise Council, with the Provincial Planning and Development Office serving as vice-chair.

Its members include Maria Teresa C. Alcos of the General Services Office, Ret. Col. Dennis Francis V. Pastor of the Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, Languido of the Provincial Assessor’s Office, Ceniza of the Provincial Legal Office, Provincial Treasurer Atty. Roy G. Salubre, and Provincial Engineer Hector P. Jamora.

Also included in the TWG are Board Members Calderon and Michael Joseph T. Villamor, who chair the committees on provincial properties and ways and means, respectively.

The group is tasked to coordinate directly with the Department of National Defense, Armed Forces of the Philippines, and Visayas Command regarding development plans for the military reservation.

It will also conduct site assessments, policy reviews, technical studies, and negotiations related to land use, infrastructure development, and institutional coordination.

“Review and evaluate all relevant documents, records, agreements, land-related concerns, and other matters affecting the proposed development initiatives and prior agreements involving the Provincial Government of Cebu and the DND/AFP,” a portion of the order reads.

The order further directs all provincial offices to extend full cooperation and support, including the provision of documents, personnel, and technical assistance.- FPL (CEBU NEWS)