GOV. Hilario Davide III confirmed there are offers to buy Capitol’s prime lots inside the Maria Luisa Estate Park in Barangay Banilad, Cebu City.

Saying that the Province wants to be cautious in disposing of their properties, Davide said he asked for the opinion of the Commission on Audit (COA) on the matter.

“We want to be sure and we are cautious basta ingon ani (on instances like this),” Davide told reporters yesterday.

Davide said there are 11 parcels of land owned by the Province inside the subdivision. Three of these are in prime locations and the rest are in slopes.

According to the records of the Provincial General Service Office, the total lot area inside the subdivision is 1.1 hectares.

Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, vice chair of the Capitol Economic Enterprise Council, said they considered selling all 11 lots as one package so that the Capitol can get a good price. The economic council considered disposing of the lots either through lease or sale.

Davide issued the clarification in reaction to a newspaper columnist who wrote that a Province-owned lot in Maria Luisa was reportedly sold to a developer at P144 million, “without consulting with the COA and without the benefit of public bidding.”

“I don’t know where he got his information. Maybe he was fed wrong, inaccurate information,” said Davide.