Wednesday, August 20, 2008 Cebu City Council fails to settle conflict of Barangays Lahug, Luz
AN attempt to amicably settle the boundary dispute between Barangays Lahug and Luz failed yesterday when Lahug officials cited the seeming undue favor given by some Cebu City councilors to Luz.
Lahug officials attended the mediation proceedings at City Hall yesterday afternoon but were unable to respond to Luz barangay officials’ boundary complaint.
Affidavits
Lahug Barangay Captain Mary Ann de los Santos said they could not respond to Luz’s boundary complaint because City Hall did not give them copies of the facts of the complaint, including affidavits of witnesses and survey reports.
The two barangays are claiming jurisdiction over sitios where the Waterfront Cebu City Hotel and Casino, Cebu Grand Convention Center, The Forum and 20 other
business establishments and 12 households are located.
During the mediation where the City Council committee of three presided, Luz Barangay Captain Nida Cabrera asserted their right over the contested area, saying that they have long been delivering basic services to establishments there.
Dispute
Cabrera also expressed their willingness to settle the dispute amicably, which presiding officer Councilor Gerardo Carillo welcomed.
But Lahug Baangay Captain Mary Ann de los Santos, a political foe of Mayor Tomas Osmeña, said the mediation might no longer be necessary since the committee
already adopted the report of the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO).
The CPDO report, among other things, has delineated the boundaries of Luz to include the contested area.
Committee
She also said that the committee of three has already given undue favor to Luz when it approved the CPDO report without giving Lahug officials a chance to respond to Luz’s claims.
They claimed that the committee of three did not furnish Lahug a copy of Luz’s petition for boundary claims, the affidavits of their witnesses and a copy of the CPDO
survey report, and could therefore not comment on the complaint, which they said is a violation of the procedures on resolving boundary disputes.
“It seems that you just want to finish this (resolving the dispute) but we want to do this properly,” lawyer Cecilia Jugao-Adlawan, legal counsel for Barangay Lahug officials, told Carillo.
Delineation
Carillo corrected de los Santos and said that the City Council still has not approved the CPDO report and has not passed an ordinance finalizing the delineation of both barangays.
Otherwise, he said, Lahug would not have the chance to air their side and that the mediation would not have taken place.
He instructed the committee of three secretariat to furnish Lahug officials with all the necessary documents. Lahug has 15 working days to respond to the complaint. (LCR)
