Sunday, August 19, 2007 City Hall hangs on to Citicenter market
OWNERS of the Citicenter Commercial Complex and lot in Barangay Kamagayan can no longer recover the property following their failure to settle their tax obligations, said Cebu City Treasurer Tessie Camarillo.
This, after radio dyLA reported that the owners will bring the matter to court, after Camarillo issued three final bills of sale for the 7,281 square meters of land and two buildings, with a total area of 4,884 square meters.
The complex occupies over half of the lot, while the rest is occupied by over 50 families, though it was originally intended for dormitories.
Quoting a caretaker and a Norte America Trading and Development Corp. representative, the dyLA report said the properties are worth P50 million now compared to around P5 million in taxes.
But Camarillo said that the owners lost their chance to get the properties back after they failed to pay their tax dues and after a 2003 public bidding.
Built in 1983, the Citicenter since its closure has become a home to, among others, squatters and suspects in theft, commercial sex and the illegal drugs trade.
Owner
On Dec. 12, 2003, the City auctioned off the properties, but nobody showed any interest, so that its ownership reverted to the City after the redemption period expired last June 6.
“The final bill of sale is like an absolute deed of sale. So ang City na ang tag-iya. We are already consolidating the titles,” Camarillo said.
According to the final bill of sale, the delinquent amount for one building, with an assessed value of P3 million, is P922,279.80; that of the second structure, with an assessed value of P6.77 million, is P1.59 million.
The lot, valued at P8.52 million, has a total tax due of P1.88 million.
All assessed tax dues were reckoned from the time the owners failed to pay until the auction, so that Camarillo estimated that these have reached P6 million by now.
Last month, Mayor Tomas Osmeña eyed Citicenter as a possible solution to the flooding in downtown Cebu City, if it’s turned into a sunken park.
The mayor said the complex would serve as a rainwater catchment so the Colon area would not get too flooded when it rains.
When there is no rain, the area would serve as a park or open space where children could play, he added.
He refused the suggestion to use the space as a relocation site, saying Kamagayan is too congested.
Turning Citicenter into a park, on the other hand, would also address the peace and order problem in the area, as demolishing the structure would eliminate any illegal activities there, he added. (RHM)
