Negros leaders express mixed reactions on Ayala Land deal

Monday, July 18, 2011

THE victory of Ayala Land Inc. in the negotiated bid Friday for the sale and lease of the 7.07-hectare prime Provincial Government property has elicited mixed reactions from some members of the Provincial Board.

Only Ayala Land submitted its negotiated bid to the Provincial Government on Friday.

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SM Prime Holdings (SMPH), which initially submitted an unsolicited bid to Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. on May 10, did not join in the negotiated bidding because it says it won in the second bidding held on July 7 when it tendered a price higher than that of Ayala Land.

Provincial Board member Patrick Lacson, a close friend of third district Representative Albee Benitez, said: "In the midst of all these, I am just happy that Negros Occidental is feasible for both big companies to fight over."

"I just wish that Ayala Land will really put in the P6 billion investment within the next few years," he added. "As for SM, I also respect their move in using legal means to resolve their disbelief that the second bidding was a failure."

Board Member Salvador Escalante, for his part, said, "Negros Occidental has been blessed again due to the political will of our leaders and the sacrifices of the people relocated from the site which has attracted for our province a P2.2 billion world class investment."

He pointed out that the investment is so far the biggest in the history of the province.

Earlier, the Bids and Awards Committee endorsed to Negros Occidental governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. its recommendation to award the sale and lease of the said Provincial Government property to Ayala Land after the firm's representatives presented their development plan for the area.

Ayala Land’s delegation was headed by its vice president Emmanuel Jalandoni who said that the development works in the area will start, as soon as the both parties sign the contract and the deed of sale.