The 93-1 land deal

I nurture the thought that there should be many people who are very carefully watching the unraveling socio-political development in our midst. I refer to the reported offer by the government of Cebu City to pay P500,000,000 to the provincial government. This very huge amount of money is supposed to be the city's payment for those province-owned parcels of land that are located within the limits of the city.

In addition to the political repercussions of this deal, there are many inescapable factors that will shape the methodology and ultimate outcome of this transaction. I predict that there will be no consummation of this deal before the elections come.

Factor 1 – cost. Just as I was about to tinker with this issue, an honorable lady member of the provincial board sounded out her mind on the value of the property involved. She claimed that the amount might not be commensurate to the value of the property.

The five million pesos despite its unimaginable enormity, might, to the minds of those who initially thought of the idea, years ago, appear sufficiently big. Let us remember that the leadership of both the city and the province started talking about it when his honor, Cebu City Mayor Michael L. Rama, was still a city's vice mayor. That should at least be a decade ago. True indeed, what was then P500 million is now not a big sum.

Given that cost factor, I imagine that the transaction might not push thru within the remaining months of this term of Mayor Rama. From what is going to be made apparent, there will be delays in the discussion. I expect that soon the provincial leaders are going to say that it is going to be unfair to convey large tract of province-owned lot to the city for that measly sum of money. They will suggest to have the correct value of asset assessed.

But is it really the cost that will hound the parties? No. But that is a perfect cover to derail the negotiation. Look at it this way. The mayor wants it done because it is a huge voting block. If he is able to swing it, thousands of families residing in these parcels of land will look forward to Mayor Rama's eventually making them titled owners to the land that they are occupying. That will be translated into a huge trunk of votes for Mayor Rama.

Someone close to the provincial governor will not like that. He will, by all means, prevent the completion of the deal. But, he will never project that image of blocking the transaction otherwise, he would, just the same, lose their support. On one hand, he would attempt to be in favor of the city's paying the province because he would claim that had been his direction, but at the same time, he would make the province believe that 500 million is not commensurate.

Factor 2 – the real total area. In the provincial ordinance numbered 93-1, the occupants were allowed to buy the lots they have built their homes on. Many, I was told, availed of the project. Some of those who have fully paid received their titles already, but there are others still waiting for their documents of full ownership. Still there are families who initially gave installment payments but, for one reason or another stopped.

Will the deal between the city and the province cover the entire property? The lots of those who received their titles shall, of course, be excluded from the transaction, so the total size of the lots must be smaller. What about those who paid fully but, their titles are not yet segregated from the mass of the province-owned lots? Are their lots covered by the Cebu City's P500,000,000 payment? Or a more serious concern should focus on those who partially complied with 93-1. How does the province treat them?

Factor 3 – who bears the burden? The P500 must be people's money. This fund is contributed by all city taxpayers and not just by the 5,000 families now occupying the 93-1 land.  The bulk of the taxpayers are not beneficiaries of this mega land deal. Yet, this deal benefits but a fraction of the residents. So, we can ask: Is it fair to those taxpayers that a large sum of their tax be practically used for the benefit of a few?