Wednesday, January 16, 2008 Statements of PB, guv on lot swap confuse Tomas
THE Provincial Board (PB) cannot authorize Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia to enter into a land swap agreement with Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña because the memorandum of exchange of real properties never reached the PB.
In a letter to Osmeña, PB Member Juan Bolo explained to the mayor that they did not refuse to give authority to the governor to sign the land swap agreement.
But he said they cannot pass a measure giving authority to the governor because they did not receive a copy of the memorandum for them to review.
“Why are they telling me now that they did not receive any copy of the draft memorandum? So what did they reject? It’s as if they are not aware of the land swap. Vice Mayor Mike Rama commented on the deal, the PB also commented on the deal and they’re saying they don’t know anything about it?” Osmeña asked yesterday.
The Capitol has since dropped the original land swap agreement and asked instead for a value-for-value exchange of lots.
Under the original terms, the City was supposed to turn over to the Province a 33,740-square-meter property in the North Reclamation Area worth P415.3 million. In exchange, the Province would hand over 435,991 square meters scattered in 11 barangays, with a market value of P3.15 billion.
Bickering
The City will be able to recover some P183.1 million if it gets to collect the unpaid dues of the lot occupants.
But without the Cebu City Government’s cooperation, Capitol’s properties in the city will not be worth billions as provincial officials claim, Osmeña said.
This is why he will not agree to a value-for-value exchange.
Osmeña reiterated that the only way the land swap can push through is for the PB to authorize the governor to sign the memorandum of exchange of real properties, which contains the original terms of the lot swap.
In a letter to PB Member Bolo, the mayor clarified that it is not true that the exchange of properties did not push through because he and the governor are not on good terms.
He further said that the “so-called bickering” happened because the PB refused to authorize the governor to sign the memorandum that they both agreed on in 2004, which would protect the security of tenure of some 4,000 families.
“One point is clear. The Provincial Government’s bragging about its enormous real estate assets is becoming an illusion without the cooperation of the City Government. We offered you a good deal. And value for value, you won’t find a better deal,” Osmeña said in his letter to Bolo.
On value
In his news conference yesterday, he said the Capitol couldn’t command a high price for their lots in the city because these are small parcels of land scattered in different barangays.
Also, the fact that these are still occupied by homeowners and the City’s refusal to cooperate in the eviction proceedings could affect the prices, he said.
“They’re thinking their property is worth billions. Well I think it’s an illusion…Value is not what you think your lot is worth, it’s the amount people are willing to pay for it,” Osmeña added.
PB Member Bolo earlier called on the council to help convince Osmeña to return to the negotiation table with the governor and resume talks on the land swap.
But Osmeña said there is nothing more to discuss with the governor since what is left to be done is for the PB to authorize her to sign the memorandum.
Bolo, chairman of the PB committee on provincial properties, replied promptly to the mayor’s letter and said they did not give the governor authority to sign because a copy of the memorandum never reached his office or the PB.
‘Immaterial’
“The PB and the committee of provincial properties never received a copy of the memorandum for us to give our governor authority to sign. Ever since I served as board member, I could not remember that I denied or refused to grant any request of the governor for a good cause,” he told the mayor.
Bolo also assured him that he will give the memorandum top priority and attention once it reaches his office.
Lawyer Rory Jon Sepulveda, Capitol consultant on information and revenue generation, confirmed that the memorandum did not leave the Office of the Governor.
He also said that it has become “immaterial.”
Provincial Attorney Marino Martinquilla first prepared a draft while the governor reached a verbal agreement with the mayor. While Osmeña did secure an authority from the Cebu City Council, some of its members questioned the fairness of the deal.
Because of this, the PB took offense and passed a resolution authorizing the governor to sign a deal as long as it is on a value-for-value basis.
Same goals
Bolo, for his part, said yesterday that value is “based on appraisal and not argument.”
“Let’s not dwell on this. Let’s move on and start from here,” said Sepulveda.
The consultant noted that both the City and Provincial Governments only want the same thing and that is to help the over 4,000 families occupying the Province-owned lots in the city.
Those who have fully paid and faithfully complied with the conditions in Ordinance 93-1 were already given land titles, contrary to the mayor’s suspicions about “delaying tactics,” said Sepulveda.
Those given the titles were those who not only paid for the lots in full, but also do not own any other property in the city. Those that did not comply with the conditions, even if they have fully paid the lot, are still being validated, said Bolo.
