CEBU Governor Gwendolyn Garcia stands firm on her decision to recover the lot occupied by the National Irrigation Administration Central Visayas (NIA-7) on Gov. M. Cuenco Avenue, Barangay Banilad, Cebu City.
Garcia claimed that because the NIA disregarded the conditions set forth in the deed of donation from many years ago, the Capitol has already reached a judgment that is "non-negotiable."
The governor criticized the NIA-7 for refusing to give back the lot to the Cebu Provincial Government during her meeting with NIA Central Visayas office head Eduardo Guillen at the Capitol on Thursday, April 13, 2023.
She claimed the area should only be used for NIA-related purposes and that the construction of a multipurpose commercial building was not covered by the donation agreement.
The governor met with Guillen to reiterate the Capitol’s resolve to reclaim their land since the amount of lot per square meter in the area is very high.
The NIA-7 official begged the governor for forgiveness because they had declined Garcia's offer, but in the end, Guillen still yielded to the demands of Cebu's top official.
“Una, siyempre humihingi tayo ng pasensiya kay Gob but ini-explain ko lang kanina, we only have good intentions. Now kong makakatulong naman na lumipat din kami at makatutulong din sa amin, wala namang problema sa amin," according to Guillen in his statement that first came out in Sugbo News, the Capitol’s social media arm.
(First, of course we apologize to the governor but I was just telling earlier, we only have good intentions. Now if transferring is what is best for us, then there is no problem). (PAC, TPT)