CEBU, Philippines - The first month of the New Year promises to be an interesting one.
To start 2017, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he will file a string of cases against several businessmen in the city who are under-declaring their taxes and their annual income.
Also, Osmeña promised to revoke the sale of the city's lots at the South Road Properties to three giant developers.
"Well, I'd like to share to Cebuanos my concern that this would be a very crucial year," he said.
"We have the threat of peace and order and also, I will do everything within my power to break the sale to Ayala, SM, and Filinvest (SRP lot sale). I will just wait after Sinulog to file," he told reporters in his press conference last December 26 before he went to Japan.
In 2015, the city government declared the consortium of Ayala Land, Cebu Holdings Inc. and SM Prime Holdings as the highest bidder with P10.009 billion for a 26.3-hectare property, while Filinvest Land Inc. was the highest bidder with P6.7 billion for a 19.2-hectare property.
These giant companies have already paid over P11 billion to the city government as downpayment and the installment of the transaction last year.
Osmeña said he will make the Cebuanos know the "real value" of the SRP lots, saying it's not only worth P38,000 per square meter which was the price of the public bidding last year.
When asked how he will go about the rescinding the sale of the SRP lots, Osmeña said he will not reveal his plans yet because it might be studied by the developers.
Not just content with revoking the sale of the SRP lots, the mayor said he will also go after the companies that are under-declaring their taxes and annual income.
Osmeña said he will also sue the banks in the city that are not declaring their real income.
He said the city government is monitoring all businesses in the city.
"I just want the people to understand ang akong trabaho is to protect the interest of the city," he said.
SM representatives chose not to comment for now while the representatives of the other companies could not be reached for comment. Jean Marvette A. Demecillo (FREEMAN)