City wants to buy 93-1 lots for P350M

CEBU, Philippines -  Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama wants the Cebu City Government to acquire the 93-1 properties from the Provincial Government for more or less P350 million.

Rama said yesterday that if the city can acquire the lots at a fair price, it will unburden Capitol of the trouble in dealing with the beneficiaries and will make the city government fasttrack the process of issuing the titles to the residents.

“I would like to bring to your attention that city government, under our administration, is committed to resolve the tenurial rights of the 93-1 Occupants, them being our constituents.  We are now making formal our intention for the city to acquire the 93-1properties at a fair consideration under mutual beneficial terms and conditions,” Rama said.

Once the city acquires the property, the Division for the Welfare of the Urban Poor will assume the housing program and collection of payment from the beneficiaries.

Rama said he will make sure the residents will be made to pay affordable prices.

“The resolution of the 93-1 has always been the priority of this administration as manifested by the fact that we are consistently allocating the needed funds for the purpose under our annual budget. If funds for the acquisition and development is approved, it will now total to around P350 million,” Rama said.

The city government allocated P50 million as goodwill fund for the 93-1 this year.

He is proposing an additional P100 million in the annual budget for 2013.

He said there are other items in the annual budget that can also be used for lot acquisition to complete the P350 million.

He said that if the P350 million will not be enough, he will appropriate more funds in a supplemental budget.

Rama said he will send representatives to the Capitol to negotiate the price with the provincial government.

The mayor said that the proposed land swap is totally out of the picture.  (FREEMAN)