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Friday, April 22, 2005
Cebu City mayor rejects Talisay's offer
By Gingging A. Campaña
CEBU CITY -- Mayor Tomas Osmeña remains resolute on his position to keep the entire 295-hectare South Reclamation Project (SRP) under Cebu City's name.
He said he "might consider" Talisay City's offer to pay for a portion of the SRP-but only when Cebu City gets hold of the title for the entire property.
"I will not consider it at this time because I don't trust him (Representative Eduardo Gullas). At some future time maybe, after we have our titles. Business 101, don't negotiate with people you can't trust," Osmeña told a news conference Thursday.
"Knowing how shrewd he is, even if he is willing to pay three times the full market value of the property, I won't negotiate," Osmeña said.
The mayor speculated that Gullas (Cebu, 1st district) might tell Malacañang "to hold on to the titles because we are still negotiating with Cebu City and then nothing happens. It will just add more delay."
Shrewd
He said Gullas' reported offer to pay for the property only shows that Talisay is admitting it doesn't own part of the SRP.
"How can Gullas be willing to pay? Maro man na sila. Namunga na ang mangga unya mo-refund sila sa among nagasto sa liso (The mango tree is bearing fruit and now they want to refund us for the cost of the seed)?" the mayor lamented.
Talisay, then under Gullas as city mayor, is staking a claim over 53.44 hectares of the SRP that it says fall within its territory, based on a municipal boundary marker.
This claim is delaying the release of titles that Cebu City needs to lease the lots to prospective investors.
Malacañang is waiting for the justice department's opinion before it orders the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to issue the special patents for the reclamation project.
Osmeña confirmed his visit to Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez but said, "the latter did not assure anything about giving an opinion that the entire SRP will be titled under Cebu City's name."
Waiting
He refused to comment on his supposed promise to Gonzalez that he will submit a memorandum in answer to the one Gullas submitted to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
"When he (Osmeña) was here last Monday, he promised to submit a memorandum because he wanted to respond to the one Congressman Gullas submitted. He (Osmeña) said he will file it the next day but this is not the next day anymore," Gonzalez told Sun.Star Thursday.
The justice secretary said he can't wait for Osmeña "to submit his memorandum ad infinitum because I have to come up with an opinion."
Gonzalez admitted he felt pressured with all the calls he received and visits from Cebu officials and the media almost everyday about the SRP.
He said Mayor Osmeña, Gullas and Representative Antonio Cuenco (Cebu City, south district) frequently visit him and discuss the SRP and his opinion on the ownership.
"Please, just wait for my opinion. If you are expecting me to write something good, stop pressuring me," Gonzalez said.
Not Talisay
Talisay City Attorney Aurora Econg confirmed Thursday that the local government has written the DOJ, saying they intend to pay for the cost that Cebu City incurred in developing a portion of the SRP, which Talisay claims as part of its territory.
This was the same letter that Gonzalez quoted in his interview with the Cebu media last Wednesday.
Econg said Gullas "is cognizant of the fact that no one should enrich himself at the expense of others."
"We are not entertaining any suggestion or ideas from Talisay on the SRP. It's not for sale to them. Even the un-reclaimed portion, we have the authority to claim. We are not going to give it to them. Even the National Government can't take it back because it is a national contract," Osmeña said.
The mayor dismissed Gonzalez's statements to media that quoted Talisay's letter.
"I don't think DOJ can tell us to do these things. It's not within their power. They can say this is legal or illegal but not in their power to tell us, 'Ok, you sell this'," Osmeña said.
However, if the City will come to this situation, he said, "We will exercise our right. We are autonomous under the law."
(April 22, 2005 issue)
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