Tuesday, March 04, 2008
DPWH verifying papers of Banilad lot owners
THE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) 7 is verifying documents submitted by at least 90 percent of lot owners whose properties will be acquired to expand Gov. Mariano Cuenco Ave., in the area where the Banilad flyover is being built.
Lawyer Agustinito Hermoso, DPWH 7 legal officer and designated spokesperson, said construction is proceeding “as scheduled.”
To update the Cebu City Council, a WTG Construction and Development Corporation official is scheduled to appear in tomorrow’s regular session to brief the legislators.
City Councilor Hilario Davide III, chairman of the ad hoc committee created to monitor the construction, had said project engineer Cesar Semilla was supposed to speak at the city council last week.
But Semilla was meeting DPWH officials in Manila last week and could spare time only in tomorrow’s session.
Hermoso said that once they have verified the documents, which include tax declarations, titles, and court clearances, the signing of contracts will follow.
He, however, said that although the lot owners have agreed to sell their lots, they are still going to court to contest the amount to be paid.
Compensation
“Ang court na mu-determine what is the just compensation for them,” he said.
DPWH is following the P15,500 per square meter Bureau of Internal Revenue zonal valuation of properties along Gov. Cuenco near the Banilad Town Centre.
The agency needs to expropriate at least 7,400 square meters of private properties for expansion of the road and Mahiga Bridge.
Expansion
The expansion will complement the 390-meter, P86.9-million flyover, which will span from the vicinity of Mahiga Bridge (by the Gaisano Country Mall) and beyond the A.S. Fortuna St. intersection.
Without the road and bridge expansion, a bottleneck would result at the Country Mall intersection once the flyover is completed.
Hermoso said the remaining 10 percent of property owners have not complied with the deadline for them to submit the required documents, which indicates they do not want to sell their lots.
The DPWH, he said, will be forced to ask the court to have the lots expropriated.
He assured, though, that that the project will not be affected because the properties whose owners did not agree to sell are not in the “critical area.”
Starting Wednesday last week, WTG closed off the two inner lanes of the four-lane road for the construction, which is expected to take at least six months.
The City Traffic Operations Management is currently studying if there is a need for it to again ask the Cebu Memorial Park board directors to open its road as alternate passage.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña had said he will invoke the general welfare clause of the Local Government Code to force open the road. (RHM)
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