AROUND 100 families and property owners living along F. Vestil Road in Barangay Mambaling and in Barangay Talamban in Cebu City will have to leave their homes as the government needs to acquire their lots to give way to the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project.
City Administrator Collin Rosell had endorsed a sample letter to the City Council, which would eventually be sent to affected individuals.
The council, during its regular session on Wednesday, Sept. 20, 2023, referred the endorsement to the City Legal Office for review.
The City Government has assured that affected individuals will be compensated.
One of the two routes of the 10.65-kilometer Package 2 of the CBRT will be from the Cebu South Bus Terminal along N. Bacalso Ave. to the South Road Properties (SRP), traversing F. Vestil Road. The other route will be from the Provincial Capitol to the Cebu IT Park, traversing Escario St., Gorordo Ave., Archbishop Reyes Ave. and MJ Cuenco Ave.
Package 2 also includes a terminal and a depot at the SRP.
In Talamban, there is a proposal to build a terminal under CBRT Package 3.
Based on the previous SunStar Cebu report, the Department of Transportation (DOTr) has yet to bid out Package 2, but the agency targets to start construction in the first quarter of 2024.
In pursuant to the memorandum of agreement entered into by the Cebu City Government and DOTr in 2016, the City is in charge of the acquisition of lots, which will be included in the CBRT alignment.
According to Rosell’s letter, the government will have to acquire 120 properties on both sides of F. Vestil Road in Barangay Mambaling and three properties in Barangay Talamban.
Compensation
Rosell, in an interview on Sunday, Sept. 24, assured that property owners will get compensation from the government once they comply with documentary requirements that include:
Certified true copy of the original/transfer certificate of title of the property from the Registry of Deeds (if the property is titled);
Certified true copy of the tax declaration of lot from Cebu City Assessor’s Office;
Notarized waiver of rights of the lot owner on the proceeds of improvement if lot owner and improvement owner are two different owners with attached copy of two valid IDs of the lot owner;
Tax clearance certificate of lot issued by the City Treasurer’s Office;
Court clearance;
Bureau of Internal Revenue tax identification number; and
Two government IDs.
The City is required to notify property owners to enable them to prepare these documents in compliance with Republic Act 10752, or The Right-of-Way Act, and the CBRT Resettlement Action Plan.
The requirements will have to be submitted to the CBRT Office at the Cebu City Hall 15 days after receipt of the notice.
Funding for the compensation will come from DOTr, and will be given to the City, which will facilitate the relocation.
Rosell said the CBRT office will also identify who among the property owners will be qualified to receive just compensation or housing relocation.
Public hearing
Division for the Welfare of Urban Poor Head Anthony Librando, in a message to SunStar Cebu on Sunday, said the areas concerned are both commercial and residential areas.
He said affected owners have known that they must vacate their properties since a public hearing on the matter was conducted two years ago.
Librando said the City Government will purchase a lot that will serve as their relocation site, while the National Housing Authority will build a medium-rise building for qualified affected residents.
He said the proposed site will be along Alviola St. in Barangay Tejero.
SunStar Cebu tried to reach Mambaling Barangay Captain Gines Abellana for his comment, but texts and calls were left unanswered as of writing.