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Sunday, February 25, 2007
Cebu City panel takes Capitol lot case to Cardinal
CEBU CITY -- While they are willing to cooperate with the Capitol in the name of development, Cebu City Vice Mayor Michael Rama said they have to consult Mayor Tomas Osmeña whether they should take back the resolution ordering a moratorium on construction projects in the Banilad area.
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The council cited the worsening traffic in ordering a halt to development projects, but that move came after the Capitol asked for a "value for value" land swap deal, which will benefit about 4,200 families in 11 barangays.
Osmeña, Cebu City north district Representative Raul Del Mar and Barangay Luz Councilor Nida Cabrera went to the Archbishop's Palace to meet Ricardo Cardinal Vidal Saturday.
That followed a meeting of around 30 leaders of the beneficiaries from 11 barangays covered by Provincial Ordinance 93-1.
They agreed to have a "suroy-suroy" starting Sunday to convince the Capitol that their constituents in the Cebu towns also favor a land swap between City Hall and the Provincial Government.
Unlike Governor Gwendolyn Garcia's Suroy-Suroy, in which she leads a caravan to the different tourist destinations in Cebu, they will ask relatives to join a signature drive, which they will collate after a week.
Solution
In an interview, Cabrera refused to divulge what happened during the meeting with Cardinal Vidal. She, however, said they will meet President Arroyo in the hope that she will help them in their plight.
After this, the City Council passed the moratorium that has threatened the P2-billion Ciudad project of the Province in Banilad.
Rama said they want to be part of the solution, and sooner or later they have to make another move.
"We will wait how they (Capitol) will go about it (directly negotiating with the beneficiaries). For sure, we will be part of the solution. Later on, we will see what we can do to help," he said.
Cabrera said while they welcome renegotiating with the Capitol, they are wary of the move.
"We will check the provisions of the agreement. We were happy that the lots would be sold to us. But that entailed a long process so even if the agreement was reached in 1993, it was only in 1998 that we started paying because of the requirements," she said.
Among others, they were required to submit a subdivision plan and an approved technical description, which Cabrera said were not easy to accomplish.
She said they also want to clarify what the governor meant by saying that the Capitol will negotiate directly with them.
"We want to know if it is renegotiation for displacement (from our homes) or for disposal (of properties)," she said.
Pressure
Garcia last Friday announced the lot swap proposal was cancelled, and that she was forming a committee that will directly deal with the beneficiaries instead.
That was after the City Council applied pressure on the Capitol by ordering a moratorium in developments in Banilad.
The Capitol responded by closing two roads in Cebu City and issuing new eviction notices to the Cebu City Police Office, Center for the Ultimate Rehabilitation of Drug Dependents and Bagong Buhay Rehabilitation Center-all of which occupy Province-owned properties.
Mayor Osmeña had offered to swap Cebu City properties with the Province to save his constituents who are occupying Province-owned lots from eviction, after 2,725 families failed to pay in full.
The Provincial Government had agreed to exchange its lots but the deal was put on hold because some statements made by the City Council offended Capitol officials.
Talks were later revived but the Provincial Government wanted a value-for-value swap this time, as it said its properties are worth P3 billion while the lots that City Hall offered are only worth P415 million.
Wary
One reason, Cabrera said, that they are wary of the governor's announcement was the emphasis on the conditions the Capitol set when it approved Ordinance 93-1, which allowed occupants of certain Province-owned lots to buy the properties through amortization.
Cabrera said that while it may be true that there are beneficiaries who did not use their lots solely for residential purposes, they were constrained to engage in commercial enterprises so they could pay Capitol.
For Luz 93-1 beneficiaries alone, she said, the Capitol already received P10 million.
City Councilor Augustus Pe Jr., who sponsored the moratorium resolution, refused to comment when asked whether the council will rescind the measure after the governor's announcement.
He, however, said the rumor that Mayor Osmeña would have struck an agreement with a private developer had the deal pushed through was just "speculation."
Cabrera said that as a protest action, they will hold a prayer rally around 1 p.m. at Plaza Independencia.
Signatures
Also, she said the signature drive is meant to tell the governor that it's not only them in Cebu City who are concerned that the deal did not push through.
They initially identified 28 towns for their version of Suroy-Suroy, but will continue traveling until they have visited all 47 municipalities and five component cities.
Cabrera said their leaders will go to Alegria, Argao, Danao city, Balamban, Tuburan, Barili, Carmen, Badian, Alcoy, Boljoon, and Ronda tomorrow.
But the residents may not get the support of the town officials as the councils of Aloguisan, Alcantara, Carcar, Poro and Talisay City have passed resolutions supporting the value-for-value counter-proposal of the Provincial Government. (RHM/With MBG of Sun.Star Cebu)For more Philippine news, visit Sun.Star General Santos. (February 25, 2007 issue)
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