Wednesday, October 03, 2007 'Area where new gov't center stands without title' By Gil Alfredo B. Severino
THE land where the controversial new government center project is now being constructed has no title.
So said Bacolod City Register of Deeds Bonifacio Kho based in a certification that states the portion of the lot donated by the Angela Estate, Inc. in favor of the City of Bacolod has not been issued a separate certificate of title due to lack of legal requirements.
The area, said Kho, is still part of a 50,000-square meter property.
He said that based on their record, the deed of donation covering the above-cited portion of the land has been duly registered with the Registry on December 18, 2006.
Also, Branch 48 Clerk of Court Nenita Alquizar confirmed that at present, their office is handling a reconstitution of title filed by Fernando Gonzaga, Inc.
In a legal opinion formulated by lawyers who requested anonymity, they said, "The land, therefore, which the beleaguered NGC is presently standing is legally and absolutely untitled or had no existing title at all."
"The deed of donation certified by the City Register of Deeds is a mere annotation which is not absolute proof of ownership unless the donee (Gonzaga family) issues a certificate of title in the name of Bacolod City," they said.
"The fact that a case has been filed for the reconstitution of title, we cannot say at this stage that the court under Judge Gorgonio Iba¤ez will grant an order for said reconstitution and the time of the said order to be released," they added.
This prompted, meanwhile, former councilor Archie Baribar to say that again Mayor Leonardia and his cohorts will suffer the consequences of another anti-graft case. "This is putting the City under undue disadvantage. We are not talking of a shed house here but a P400 million structure. What if the Gonzagas will refuse the granting of the title?"
