Wednesday, February 21, 2007
Nalzaro: Why not use the SRP?
By Bobby Nalzaro
Saksi
THE word war between Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Gov. Gwen Garcia on the aborted land swap deal can be considered a lover's quarrel.
My unsolicited advice to Mayor Tom: Don’t give up until you win the heart of the lady governor and she agrees to a land swap deal based on your terms and conditions. That is if you are really sincere in advancing the interest of the 5,000 families occupying some province-owned lots.
Tomas said he will no longer pursue negotiations for a land swap after Garcia showed lack of interest in City Hall’s original proposal of simply swapping province-owned land with city-owned lots. Capitol officials now want a value for value exchange.
The mayor hit back by ordering the City Council to pass a resolution calling for a moratorium in development works in the Banilad-Talamban area including those in Capitol's properties in Banilad, a move that Capitol officials view as blackmail.
The Provincial Government, together with a private corporation, plans to develop its Banilad lot by building upscale housing and condominium units. The project is called Ciudad Cebu.
As I said in the previous columns, the Provincial Government has the upper hand in this conflict because it owns the lots. Tomas, as father of the city, should not have stopped negotiating if he is really concerned with the plight and welfare of the affected residents.
Come on, Mayor Tom, don't act like a child. Fight for the rights of your residents by continuing to woo Capitol. Pagkamabaw pud nimo og sampot, uy. But you should change your strategy. Do not antagonize and terrorize the governor because you cannot bully her. Mas tang-an pa na si Gwen nimo. Instead, beg.
Gwen, being the mother of the province, also has the right to protect province-owned lots. There is a big disparity in the value of the properties City Hall wants to swap with Capitol. Imagine P3 billion worth of province-owned properties to be swapped by city-owned lots worth P400 million.
If Capitol officials immediately agree to Tomas’ land swap proposal, they will be condemned by taxpayers in the province and they will be facing suits. I am sure that once the deal is consummated, Gwen's political opponents will parade to the anti-graft office to file charges against her considering that the deal would be disadvantageous to the interest of the province.
Is Tomas willing to face those charges in Gwen's behalf? I doubt.
I appreciate and salute Tomas' concerns for his constituents. But he is only looking at one side of the picture. What about the side of the provincial officials?
But wait a minute, if Capitol wants a value for value deal, why won't Tomas offer a big chunk of the South Road Properties (SRP) for the multi-billion-peso province-owned lots? Basin mosugot na ana si Gwen. Or why not transfer residents living in province-owned lots to the SRP?
What do you think? Is this a good or is this a foolish suggestion?
(bgnalzaro@gmanetwork.com/ 0918-2198333)
For Bisaya stories from Cebu. Click here. (February 21, 2007 issue)
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