|
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Lot claims bug Mandaue recla
By Rose O. Verzosa
Sun.Star Staff Reporter
At least 17 individuals and groups acquired titles over some of Mandaue City’s foreshore lands that fall within the proposed 295-hectare Mandaue North Reclamation Project (MNRP).
City Administrator Serafin Blanco admitted that the claimants and titleholders have caused the delay in the implementation of the reclamation project, which forms part of the North Special Economic Administrative Zone.
Blanco said the City is surprised why transfer certificates of title (TCTs) were issued for these foreshore lands to private individuals and groups, when these are classified as timberland or inalienable and indisposable lands, he said.
The ownership of the foreshore and submerged lands of the public domain within the City and within the municipal or city waters had been ceded by the National Government to the Mandaue City Government under Republic Act 5519, or the Mandaue City Charter.
City Legal Officer Erwin Rommel Heyrosa said he prepared a demand letter addressed to the claimants. Should they fail to comply with the City’s demands, the City Government will take the matter to court.
Heyrosa notified the claimants that the City is not recognizing their TCTs.
Surrender
He also demanded that they surrender their copies of the TCTs and that they immediately cease-and-desist “from acting as if you have lawful titles over the subject foreshore area.”
Although actual reclamation work in the area has yet to start, Blanco said the City Government is now into the “second level scooping” for the processing and issuance of the proposed reclamation area’s environmental compliance certificate.
After the issuance of the ECC, the developer may already start with the reclamation work, said Blanco.
“It (reclamation project) takes time, especially if there are claimants because no investor would invest their money if there are adverse claimants,” Blanco told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.
Five years ago, the City Government entered into a contract of reclamation with the Mandaue Land Consortium (MLC) involving 295 hectares of submerged and foreshore lands in the city’s northern part, starting from the foot of the Marcelo Fernan Bridge until Barangay Jagobiao.
At that time, the reclamation project was estimated to cost P14.9 billion.
Parklands
MLC, which is a joint venture between DM Wenceslao & Associates Inc. and Belgian company Jan de Nul, will undertake and finance the reclamation project at no cost to the City Government.
MLC will be paid through portions of the reclaimed land at a sharing percentage of 22 percent for the City and 78 percent for MLC.
Of the 295 hectares of reclaimed land, 88.5 hectares will be allocated for roads and parks.
The remaining 206.5 hectares will be divided between MLC and Mandaue City, who will each get around 161.07 hectares and 45.43 hectares, respectively.
City Ordinance 09-2002-131, which was passed last Dec. 3, 2002 and took effect last March 9, 2003, declared and classified the proposed MNRP, the existing Mandaue South Reclamation and any reclaimed portions of the City’s foreshore lands as special economic administrative zones.
The City Council also passed a resolution stating that the areas falling within the special economic administrative zones will be treated as a separate administrative unit, not belonging to any of the adjacent barangays.
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (May 17, 2006 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
[return to top]
[home]
[network page]
|
LOCAL NEWS
BUSINESS
OPINION
SPORTS
LIFESTYLE
FEATURE
SUPERBALITA
WEEKEND
|
