CEBU Gov. Hilario Davide III will not pursue any court action on the Province’s claim over Fuente Osmeña, saying the landmark is owned by the Cebuanos.
“I will ask the Provincial Legal Office not to file any motion for reconsideration or appeal,” Davide announced yesterday in a press conference.
He said the landmark is for everybody and nobody should claim ownership over it.
“It should not be an issue because the Cebuanos own that,” Davide said.
Davide recalled that in his youth, his grandfather, who used to live on Waling-Waling St. in the Fuente area, would bring him and his cousins to the circle in the afternoon for a stroll.
“I remember also katong asa nang (Robinsons) Cybergate karon, kilid sa Chong Hua, that used to be a playground sa Lions Club. May swings diha, may mga seesaws, slides, it was early 70s,“ Davide said.
Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 23 Judge Generosa Labra ruled the other day in favor of Cebu City in the civil case the Capitol filed years ago to recover Fuente Osmeña.
Labra said the Province failed to defend the issue based on laws on public parks ownership.
The dispute on ownership of Fuente Osmeña started during the governorship of Gwen Garcia.
The conflict between the City and the Province spread to the road around the rotunda. Garcia closed the Province-owned Larsian road in 2007. The road was reopened in 2011 during the term of mayor Michael Rama.
Garcia was then in the process of recovering 164 hectares of Capitol-owned lots scattered in Cebu City, including the 80-hectare Camp Lapu-Lapu property and the 22-hectare Boy Scout lots and the Cebu City Zoo.
The Cebu City Zoo was recently the object of the proposed land swap deal between Capitol and City Hall to settle 93-1 Cebu-owned properties occupied by City residents.