CEBU, Philippines - All sixteen officials of the Barangay Councilors League of the Philippines-Cebu City Chapter have signed a manifesto supporting the sale of lots at the South Road Properties.
Their move came after four city councilors and seven barangay captains allied with Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan supported the disposal of the 45.2-hectare reclaimed properties.
The officials were led by their president Raymond Garcia. He was with his executive vice president Litoy Ceniza, south district vice president Eugen Tabas and north district vice president Yody Sanchez, secretary-general Grace Baquero, treasurer Maria Pino, auditor David Agravante and public relations officer Gerry Auxillo Jr.
North district board of directors Troy Tan, Bradex Flores, Frank Gajudo and Lino Bontilao; and south district board of directors Boy Ababon, Jojo Peralta, Anne Vestil Palomo and Richard Buscaino were also present.
All are Team Rama allies.
Following the signing yesterday afternoon, the BCLP officials are expected to get 80 percent or 448 out of the 560 councilmen in the city's 80 barangays to support the sale.
The two-page manifesto expressed their willingness to allow Mayor Michael Rama to sell lots in the SRP as "one way of providing development programs that will enrich and upgrade the capabilities of the local government unit."
They said the projected revenue of P12 billion out of the property can help fund the construction and rehabilitation of the Cebu City Medical Center, accommodate the 2015 Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit and International Eucharistic Congress in 2016, improve the city's traffic systems and fund the financial assistance of senior citizens, among others.
"We believe in your sense of impartially and even handedness that when it comes to key problems involving the general well-being of our constituents, politics will only be a color and that our promise to our populace that we will articulate and crystallize these issues should be done through proper and legal means," the barangay officials said.
The projected proceeds of the sale could also be utilized to pay off city's outstanding amortization balance of P2.9 billion to Japan Bank for International Cooperation.
The property is sold at P20,000 per square meter, which is P4,000 higher than the recommended floor price of the City Appraisal Committee.
However, Councilor Margarita Osmeña simply ridiculed some of the purposes mentioned in selling the prime properties.
"Why use the proceeds of SRP to pay the recurring obligations of the city like the financial assistance of senior citizens and the like?" she said in an interview over a local radio station.
"Ngano man kinahanglan mobaligya ta og SRP to fund programs that are already part of the annual budget and are already appropriate. Unsay pasabot ani? Nga walay kwarta? I'm asking, not saying," she said. --/BRP (FREEMAN)