Unhappy with how lot swap plan is treated: Gwen lashes at city council

The lot swapping agreement that was supposedly meant to settle an impasse between the Cebu Provincial Government and the residents in the property located inside Cebu City looked headed to its doom when an obviously irked Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia expressed her disgust at how the Cebu City Council is treating the matter.

Peeved and affronted over the "reckless, uninformed and crude comment" from the city council led by Vice Mayor Michael Rama, Governor Garcia said that the Province might possibly opt to instead file an eviction case against the Cebu City residents occupying the Capitol-owned lots.

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña also had harsh words for the vice-mayor and the city council because for their failure to address this matter urgently.

For the very first time since ugly comments from the city council came out, Garcia yesterday said it is her responsibility to protect the interest of the Province of Cebu and her constituents. She added that the province would not be held hostage by their politics and politicking.

Although she chose not to dignify the comment recently issued by Rama, the governor said that as a responsible public official one should be accountable for his/her own words and actions.

She also said she's already getting fed up, as every day that passes is a further delay in seeing to it that the interest of the province is best protected.

PB members Victor Maambong, Juan Bolo, Jose Maria Gastardo, and Carmiano Kintanar, and Vice Governor Gregorio Sanchez all agree that Rama' statement is an affront to the integrity of the Province of Cebu.

The governor also said she felt insulted twice over, her being the top official of the province. This added to the fact that she feels very passionate about the province.

"No one should ever dare impugn the name and the integrity of the Province of Cebu. They can talk and talk, we will start acting. Daghan sulti, daghan sayop, kausa ra kong lihok," she said.

When ask if she would heed the recommendation of Kintanar and Gastardo for the province to put off the lot-swapping deal at this point when it has already turned sour, the governor curtly said she will act in accordance with her responsibility as the governor to protect its interest and that of her constituents.

When the asked if one of the options the province is considering is filing an eviction case against the illegal occupants of the province-owned lots, as has been floated also by Maambong, the governor said: "Watch me. You know, di man ta daghan og sulti, lihok lang ta. Usahay maigo man ta og kilat sa sige nato og yawyaw, maypag kilat na lang."

Although she has not yet talked with Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña on the kinks of the proposed lot-swapping deal, Garcia believes the position of the mayor stays, considering that it was Osmeña who initiated the said proposal to solve the social problem of 5,000 city residents occupying the province-owned lots.

"I commend the efforts of Mayor Tomas Osmeña. I cannot say the same of some other officials in the city council," she said.

All the four PB members and Sanchez expressed apprehension over heeding the call of the city council for a joint session at this point in time when Cebu City's local legislative body has already pre-judged their counterpart in the province.

Bolo and Maambong are drafting a proposed resolution to be filed at the PB, condemning the statement made by Rama and for the PB to shun the joint session.

Mayor Osmeña yesterday lashed out at Vice Mayor Michael Rama and some other councilors for taking "long discussion" in giving him the authority to enter into a memorandum of exchange of real properties with the Cebu provincial government.

In the city council session last Wednesday, Rama, who delivered a privilege speech, warned that the council should not make haphazard decisions when P400 million worth of City Hall property was at stake.

Rama said he wants to make sure the council's decision to give up P400 million worth of property in exchange for P183 million it will eventually collect from the occupants will not be questioned later on. Instead of approving the resolution on the land swapping agreement between the city and the province, Rama called for a joint session between the city and the province.

"This is a subject, which discuss for the longest time. It already boils down to harsh words," Osmeña said. Osmeña said the vice-mayor and the council has no business in discussing it with the provincial board instead the mayor has the authority to negotiate with the province.

"We are so greedy. This is a matter of gesture and worst they are accusing the other side with malice," Osmeña said.

Osmeña reminded the council that the province has been very cooperative with the city even during the time of then governor Pablo Garcia, who donated a lot in barangay Kalunasan, intended for Operation Second Chance.

Osmeña said he worked hard for the city to acquire the North Reclamation Area, which belonged to the Public Estates Authority. "I work hard in negotiating to get the area but even then it belongs to the city. I think I am entitled to say on how to dispose it."

Of the total 4,148 families occupying provincial lots, only 1,467 families have paid in full for the area they are occupying. To spare the 2,900 families from being evicted, the land swapping deal was considered a solution.

In exchange for the Capitol's 504,055 square meter property, the city is planning to give the Province a 33,737 square meter prime lot at the North Reclamation Area, which is presently used as nursery and storage space for City Hall equipment.

While the current market value of the province's property amounts to P3.15 billion, the deal is not favorable to the city in financial terms since it will be able to collect a maximum amount of only P183.1 million from the occupants. The market value of the city's property is P415.3 million.

The Province-owned lots are located in barangays Apas, Luz, Busay, Mabolo, Lorega, Camputhaw, Lahug, Capitol Site and Kalunasan.

Under Provincial Ordinance 93-1, occupants of the Province-owned property were entitled to purchase their lots on installment basis from 1993 to 1998. This was later extended to May 2004. The occupants asked for another extension but Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia vetoed the ordinance seeking to move the deadline for payments.