Gwen to remove squatters on lots owned by province

Governor Gwendolyn Garcia is standing pat on her decision to take action against illegal occupants of the Capitol-owned properties covered in the Provincial Board Ordinance No. 93-1.

This despite the statement of Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, instructing members of the city council, especially Vice Mayor Michael and councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, to stay out of the deal, as he will now take the initiative to renegotiate with the province and repackage the whole deal to make it more attractive to the province.

"Very good advise," was all the governor could say about the instruction of Osmeña in shutting out Pesquera and Rama from the deal during a news conference yesterday afternoon.

"It was Mayor Tomas Osmeña who has all within his right to negotiate with the province. Kinsa man di-ay mo-negotiate? Unless naay laing mayor. Naa ba? Or naay nagpa-mayor-mayor?" she quipped.

She said only chief executives should do the negotiation "in case some of them forgot because chief executives represent their respective local government units."

However, she has remained mum on whether or not she is still open for a renegotiation after she decided to drop the proposed land-swapping deal between the province and Cebu City, followed by the passage of a resolution by the PB to this effect last Monday afternoon.

"Certainly, we will take action. I have to. It is my responsibility or else my constituents will say that I have been remiss in my obligation in looking after their interest," she said.

The governor has already said in previous interviews about "seriously considering" the plan to evict the lot occupants of the province-owned lots in 11 city barangays.

Of the 5,000 supposed beneficiaries of the PB Ordinance No. 91-3 declaring these properties for socialized housing in 1993, only about 1,000 residents had fully paid even after the province stretched the deadline to May 2004.

And since Garcia vetoed the approved PB measure to extend some more the deadline for amortization payments, Osmeña then took the initiative to negotiate with the province for a lot-swap deal immediately after the 2004 elections.

However, the deal went sour after Pesquera and Rama issued statements against the province.

As to a separate lot of the province donated to the then Visayas Command but which was turned into socialized housing sites in view of the Presidential Proclamation issued to this effect, she said she could understand where the city government has based its authority to intervene concerns regarding the implementation of such socialized housing project, the city being the lead agency for the enforcement of such.

At present, the city has asked the Visayan Electric Company to cut off power connections of illegal occupants in the said Central Command lots.

"On the other hand, that presidential proclamation converting that area for a socialized housing bolsters our claim that these lots which were donated by the Province of Cebu by then governor Jose Briones to the Visayas Command with a specific condition that they be used for military purposes are now used not for military purposes," she said.

The governor further said this is their ground for the eviction case that has already been filed against the informal settlers.

"I'm sure something can be worked out in terms of the city's concern and also in the social problem that beset the city. In fact, mao na rason gyud nga sa una I was very open to the proposal of Mayor Tomas Osmeña," she said. - Cristina C. Birondo