|
Friday, May 13, 2005
Talisay yields; Cebu City mayor for refund
By Garry A. Cabotaje
CEBU CITY -- Amid unceasing attack from their Cebu City counterparts, the Talisay City Council said it will honor all contracts the Cebu City Government will enter into with investors of the disputed portion of the South Reclamation Project (SRP).
Talisay will also not oppose the issuance of separate titles for investors in the same disputed area.
"It's an act of humility and a gesture of peace on the part of the members of the City Council. We hope they would do the same just to put an end to this (word) war," said Councilor Shirley Belleza.
The Talisay City Council unanimously passed Thursday a resolution ensuring the security of investments of prospective SRP investors.
Upon learning of the passage of the resolution, Representative Eduardo Gullas (Cebu, 1st district), who just arrived from Manila Thursday morning, thanked Mayor Socrates Fernandez, Vice Mayor Aberdovey Belleza and the rest of the council members.
Pay
In his press conference, Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña thanked the Talisay City Council for the move.
"Thank you and now will they please refund us two years' worth of debt service so we won't have such a hard time because they have been claiming that for two years, and we are using up P1.5 million a day," Osmeña told a news conference Thursday.
"They're putting us through so much delay only to prove they can't get even a single square meter," he added.
The quarrel between Talisay and Cebu City delayed the issuance of titles for the 295-hectare SRP, which cost 12 billion yen (about P6.39 billion) to build. This set back the marketing of the reclamation project to investors.
Cebu City is paying for P1.5 million a day for interests alone on the SRP loan from the Japan Bank for International Cooperation.
The council resolution states that Talisay City is taking this position for the benefit of the public as well as "encourage the full development of the SRP in the meantime without prejudice to its right to pursue its claim before the proper government agencies."
Not over
"Talisay City is bound (to this resolution) because it could stand in any court," said Gullas in a press conference in Fernandez's office.
But Talisay is not giving up its rights over 53.44 hectares of the SRP that it says are found in its territory, pending the resolution of this matter.
Both Fernandez and Belleza said, though, that the council's move is sincere and candid as they downplayed Osmeña's latest verbal assault that it could be another form of political maneuvering on their part.
"It's a commitment on our part without any ill-motives at all," Fernandez said. "We're very sincere in coming up with this resolution. Pero di ta kabuot unsay isulti in Tomas," Belleza added.
The two officials signed the resolution, authored by Councilor Richel Bacaltos, the majority floor leader, in the presence of Gullas and reporters covering the press conference.
The resolution also states that they will honor the investments as long as all the payments go to the loan contracted by Cebu City with the Land Bank of the Philippines that corresponds to the disputed portion of the SRP.
This way, in case the portion shall be adjudged as belonging to Talisay City, the payments shall be credited in favor of Talisay.
Based on the April 27 opinion of the Department of Justice, Talisay City shall not impose real estate taxes on the disputed areas or on any improvements by investors pending final resolution of the matter.
President Arroyo, in her visit to Cebu last week, said titles for the SRP can be given to Cebu City after Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez opined that a presidential proclamation can be issued recognizing Cebu City's ownership of the SRP without prejudice to Talisay's claim.
The Talisay resolution further states that any and all taxes investors may have paid to Cebu City in good faith, pending resolution of the boundary dispute shall be honored by Talisay City without prejudice to its right to collect the same from Cebu City. (With GAC)
(May 13, 2005 issue)
Write letter to the editor.Click here.
Join the Sun.Star message board.Click here. |
|
|
|
[return to top]
[home]
|
|
