Thursday, August 09, 2007 Consultation on re-zoning assured
EVEN on properties not classified as socialized housing zones, the Cebu Provincial Government might have a hard time undertaking commercial development projects in Cebu City.
It will be the first time in recent years that a major rezoning of vast properties will be done, but city officials assured all stakeholders will be consulted before it is approved, including the Provincial Government.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña said yesterday that the City Government will opt for “spot rezoning” and heavy “downzoning” particularly on government-owned land.
All lots under Provincial Ordinance 93-1 will be rezoned as socialized housing zones, with properties on its periphery remaining as either commercial, residential or institutional zones.
Even the Capitol’s Ciudad project, on a lot not covered by Ordinance 93-1, will be stalled further after the mayor announced he will not prioritize development on government-owned lots.
The Province is proposing to build the mixed-use Ciudad project on a Capitol-owned lot along Gov. Cuenco Ave., which is classified as an institutional zone.
But Osmeña said that Gov. Cuenco Ave. and the Banilad and Talamban areas “can only take very little development.”
“Now there are private schools that want to expand, and other private establishments. What will we prioritize, private owners who have been paying us taxes for a long time or government-owned land, which does not contribute anything to the City?” he said.
“We can only take so much development so we will prioritize private-owned land. But even the rezoning will not be absolute because you can always apply for a variance,” he continued.
Owners of all affected properties, including the Capitol, can eventually seek exemption from the rezoning, once the council approves it.
He warned, though, that if the Capitol seeks to be exempted, it will be treated like other tenants or owners of properties.
“They will just be treated like everyone else; they will have to apply like other ordinary tenants. They’re not even ordinary, they’re lower than ordinary. They’re considered second-class citizens because they don’t vote and they don’t pay taxes to the City Government. I just have to emphasize that,” Osmeña said.
But if the Capitol can assure it will not disturb the present occupants of their properties in the city, the City will also not disturb the Province’s activities, although commercial developments will still be regulated.
The City Government is pushing for the rezoning of some 460,000 square meters of provincial properties scattered in 11 barangays in the city to prevent the Capitol from evicting occupants of their lots.
An ordinance amending the Cebu City Zoning Ordinance will be tackled by the council next week.
Councilor Edgardo Labella assured that his committee will thoroughly review the proposed ordinance and all stakeholders will be given a chance to express their stand during a public hearing.
“We will look into the ordinance that will be proposed and study its legal and social implications. We will have to consult all stakeholders and make sure the ordinance complies with all the requisites before it’s approved,” said Labella, chairman of the council committee on laws.
The Apas Barangay Council approved on mass motion last Tuesday night a resolution supporting whatever stand the council will take on the Capitol’s move to recover their properties in seven sitios in the barangay.
Although she considers it a sound move to rezone Ordinance 93-1 lots as socialized housing zones to make sure that occupants are not evicted, Lahug Barangay Captain Mary Ann de los Santos said their barangay council will not pass a resolution endorsing it.
De los Santos said they already passed a resolution before asking the Province to allow the occupants of Capitol-owned lots to complete the payment for their parcels of land.
“We are still hoping the governor will consider our request and it might be granted if we keep a healthy and harmonious relationship with them. We don’t want to antagonize the Province by passing such resolution,” the former mayoral candidate told Sun.Star Cebu.
Barangay Lahug received last June a P5-million check from the Provincial Government for the construction of a school building, which the mayor almost cancelled.
Lahug is home to some 1,400 households occupying lots owned by Capitol.
Meanwhile, Capitol consultant Rory Jon Sepulveda just laughed at Councilor Gerardo Carillo’s statement that the City will reclassify all 93-1 lots into socialized housing zones.
“They are threatening the Province to do what has already been done… Gawas kon falsified ning ilang gihatag nga record,” Sepulveda said.
Based on records obtained from City Hall, the lots covered by 93-1 have already been declared as socialized housing sites in 1996, Sepulveda said.
“Di na unta siya (Carillo) tantong maghago (He doesn’t have to work so hard to revise the zoning ordinance). All he has to do is to check their records,” Sepulveda said.
Sepulveda is also asking the city officials to study their moves carefully to show that they are indeed competent city officials who are doing their job.
Provincial Board Member Juan Bolo, who chairs the committee on properties, is appealing to the city councilors to act for the good of the people and not just to get back at the Capitol.
He also pointed out in a dyLA interview that since the plan to rezone only came out recently, the council’s motive is questionable.
But he also said that if it will really push through, then the Capitol has the option to evict city residents from the Province-owned lots and let provincial constituents occupy the properties. (LCR/MBG)
