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Saturday, February 24, 2007
Cebu guv says lot swap out
By Jeanette P. Malinao and Linette C. Ramos
CEBU CITY -- Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia announced Friday that the proposed lot swap deal with the Cebu City Government is out.
"Now that it has become quite clear that (Mayor Tomas Osmeña's) only concern is his children, I will make it easier for him. He does not have to give up property nor go down on bended knees. I will directly deal with the 2,725 and not 5,000 as he feared...The lot swap does not need to go on...End of story," Garcia announced, after she arrived from a trip to the Camotes group of islands.
Arroyo Watch: Sun.Star blog on President Arroyo
"Suffice it to say that we recognize the fear of the mayor that violence may break out. Don't worry, I will take care of his children," she added.
The Cebu City mayor welcomed "like manna from heaven" the governor's decision to deal directly with the occupants of Province-owned lots, leaving the City Government out of the negotiations.
But he warned that the negotiations should not result in the displacement of some 2,700 families, otherwise, he will be constrained to exercise options "that will escalate the friction" between Capitol and City Hall.
"No problem at all. My God, that's like manna from heaven (if she will negotiate directly with the beneficiaries). Let me remind you that I came into the picture only because she refused to talk to them before," Osmeña said Friday.
Now, Ciudad
The governor will issue an executive order to create a committee whose first task must be to hold a dialogue with the occupants.
Since Osmeña has said he is willing to lift the moratorium on development in Banilad if the original lot swap deal will push through, Garcia said her lawyers will just deal with Ciudad.
"As long as his children are taken care of, there's no reason not to proceed. I guess we can expect the mayor now to say that Ciudad will now be a go. If not, then he will be feeding the suspicions we hear about other real motives," said Capitol consultant Pablo John Garcia.
Provincial Attorney Marino Martinquilla also disclosed that payment is not the only requirement for the deed of sale to be given to the occupants.
Ordinance 93-1 sets several conditions for its release: The beneficiary must be an actual and not an absentee occupant; must not be a member of a squatting syndicate; must not own another residential lot within Metro Cebu; and the 93-1 lot must be used exclusively for residential purposes.
Of the 1,430 who have fully paid, Martinquilla said many have violated the conditions, such as by putting up commercial establishments. Their status will be reviewed.
Occupants
"We will then issue a recommendation to the committee," said Martinquilla, who will be a member of the committee with Pablo John Garcia, lawyer Rory Jon Sepulveda, Provincial Treasurer Roy Salubre, Provincial Real Estate Section Chief Paulino Entera and Provincial Board committee on properties chairman Juan Bolo.
In a letter to the Capitol, Luz Barangay Councilor Nilda Cabrera said they welcome the Capitol's decision to deal with them with "much hope and enthusiasm."
In a phone interview, Cabrera said they are hopeful the governor will negotiate with them so they can own the properties they are occupying, instead of discussing their relocation.
Like the mayor, she fears violence may erupt if they are displaced, especially since the lot occupants are already agitated because of the Capitol's threats of eviction.
"We have no problem negotiating with the governor as long as disposal ilang tuyo and not displacement, kay bisag unsaon, dili gyud mi mupahawa. (We are not leaving.) We will not negotiate for a relocation," Cabrera told Sun.Star Cebu.
On Sunday, beneficiaries of Provincial Ordinance 93-1 will have their own version of "Suroy-Suroy Sugbo", the governor's program to promote tourism in the towns.
Options
But tourism promotion will be far from the beneficiaries' minds when they visit the towns starting Sunday.
Cabrera said they will explain to the town officials and the Province's constituents their situation and how hard they worked to keep the properties they bought from Capitol under Ordinance 93-1.
In his news conference, the mayor said he will do everything he can to make sure the families will not be evicted from the lots they are occupying.
"We have other options we can exercise that we haven't exercised yet but it will only escalate the friction. But when they start evicting, I promise you I will be very creative in exercising our options. I'll do anything, everything in my power once they start physically removing and hurting these people," he said.
In his news conference Friday, Osmeña also said he does not mind losing P3 million in annual taxes from the Ciudad development, or the employment opportunities it will create.
"The impact of the moratorium on job opportunities is very minimal and not as severe as the dislocation of the families. We can always look for other job opportunities but we can't just relocate the families and save them from the trauma of being displaced," he said.
But if the governor still wants to sit down to talk, Osmeña said he is willing to listen to her.
Repossess
"Like I said, if she'll take the original proposal, I will use all my influence on the council to lift the moratorium, although I can't properly say it will be lifted because I'm not the council. But you have to understand that I will not ask the council to lift it until they agree to the (original) lot swap," Osmeña added.
Amid speculations on what the Province intends to do with its other properties in Cebu City-including Fuente Osmeña-Pablo John Garcia said: "We will repossess and take possession of our properties at the least possible convenience to the public...We assure the public that the governor will not act rashly, like other local government units. She will act prudently in accordance with her duties as governor, as administrator of the provincial properties and in accordance with the law."
He added that with the Capitol's decision to "take care of (Osmeña's) children without him having to part with his property or pride," provincial officials have helped the mayor by insulating him from "swirling and whirling speculations" that he would have dealt with a private developer after the lot exchange.
"He need not kneel down and say I'm sorry. He only has to say thank you to the governor," said Pablo John. (Sun.Star Cebu)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star Zamboanga. (February 24, 2007 issue)
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