THE sale of a lot done by Mandaue City through former mayor Jonas Cortes in 2015 was meant to implement the provisions of a contract of lease between the City and EC Ouano Development and Management Corp. (Ecodemcor) that had been in existence since 1978 and which the City was bound to respect as contracting party.
There was sufficient and ample consideration because the P50-per-square-meter price was not the only payment for the sale. There was also a donation of several lots by the buyers worth more than P42 million. However, the critics did not include this fact in their expose because this would water down their accusations.
The donation was in line with the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) of Mandaue for 2015 and would have helped solve the traffic bottleneck along A. Soriano St. that surfaces, especially during peak hours. It would also have partly answered the drainage issues in Barangays Cambaro and Looc.
In fact, the current administration indirectly recognizes the importance of the donated properties, which were part of the payment for the purchased lots, since it is implementing a concreting and drainage project on them.
The consequential benefit derived from the donation of the properties to the development and improvement of the road and drainage facilities in the area is more valuable than its monetary worth.
This case was publicized right before the May 2018 barangay elections and again re-filed before the filing of the certificates of candidacy for the 2019 elections. This case is clearly politically motivated and is being milked and used by the political opponents of former mayor Jonas Cortes for propaganda purposes.
We welcome the filing of any case pertaining to the Ecodemcor lot sale so the issues being used to deceive the people of Mandaue will be fully ventilated and addressed in the proper forum--Rep. (Jonas C. Cortes)