PAGTAMBABAYONG Foundation Inc. (PFI) on Wednesday officially returned to the Cebu Provincial Government 8.4 hectares of “undeveloped” properties that had been in its possession in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City.
An agreement signed by Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia and PFI president Jane Tumagon on Dec. 13, 2023 partially repealed the joint venture agreement (JVA) of the two parties, according to a report from Sugbo News, the official media arm of the provincial government.
This came after the remaining 8.4 hectares of the 24 hectares offered to PFI by the provincial government for housing development more than 30 years ago remained undeveloped and idle due to the foundation’s financial constraints.
Wednesday’s signing was witnessed by Provincial Attorney Donato Villa, Capitol real estate division chief Jose Yuson, as well as PFI executive director Paula Fernandez and former executive director Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez.
In a phone interview on Thursday, Dec. 14, PFI executive director Fernandez told SunStar Cebu that PFI had officially waived its right to develop the remaining idle lots for a socialized housing program under the JVA in favor of the provincial government, which owns the lots.
She said the Capitol wants to fast-track the development of the remaining idle lots; however, PFI has no capitalization or funding to speed up the implementation of the socialized housing program at the moment.
Therefore, PFI decided to give up its right to develop the lots and just return them to the Capitol.
Agreement
The JVA was signed between the provincial government and the PFI in September 1991 by then Cebu governor Emilio Mario “Lito” Osmeña.
It was during the time that Osmeña was leading the initiative to convert non-productive provincial lots into real estate ventures, paving the way for the transformative changes in Cebu City.
Under the first agreement, the provincial government offered 24 hectares in Barangay Kalunasan for a socialized housing development that was to be undertaken and funded by PFI.
A 50-50 revenue sharing agreement between Cebu Province and PFI was included in the JVA.
“Naa nay daghan nagpuyo. Most of them kay naay domicile from the province of Cebu kay mao man siya ang agreement,” Fernandez told Sugbo News on Dec. 6.
(There are now a lot of people living there. Most of them are domiciled in the province of Cebu because that is the agreement.)
After 30 years, the PFI was able to develop only 16 of the 24 hectares of property.
“Unfortunately, walay capacity (no capacity) si Pagtambabayong now to develop the remaining area which is eight hectares,” she said.
Pagtambayayong - A Foundation for Mutual Aid Inc. is a non-stock, non-profit, and non-governmental organization established in 1982 with the goal of facilitating and backing grassroots community development. This includes the promotion of self-help housing cooperatives, creating opportunities for decent employment, and implementing suitable technology.