As MOA for CENTCOM move is inked: Apas folk plea for their homes

CEBU, Philippines - Residents of province-owned lots in barangay Apas are asking Governor Gwendolyn Garcia that they be allowed to stay in the place, but this plea might not be granted.

This as the provincial government yesterday signed a memorandum of agreement with the Armed Forces of the Philippines for the transfer of the Central Command headquarters to the Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City.

Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia signed the MOA yesterday with Defense Sec. Gilbert Teodoro at the Cebu International Convention Center.

Under the MOA, the province “shall replicate or case to be replicated all the existing and identified buildings/facilities/structures of headquarters Centcom and its supporting units with perimeter fence at its relocation area at Mactan Benito Ebuen Air Base in Lapu-Lapu City.”

Those buildings and facilities that can not be accommodated at the MBEAB shall be relocated at the lots appropriated for the AFP in Camp Lapu-Lapu, Cebu City.

   The capitol has also agreed to transfer all existing structures and facilities of the Naval Quartering area within the province-donated lots at its at its relocation area at the dry portion of the Headquarters Naval Forces Central in barangay Canjulao, Lapu-Lapu City.

The provincial government shall also “provide and ensure financial support and equipment” to the survey, preparation of the estimates, plans, designs, specifications and other activities with regard to this undertaking.

Also, the capitol shall facilitate the issuance of a presidential proclamation, in coordination with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources 7, for the segregation of a contiguous area consisting of 1,050 hectares in Tuburan town, which will serve as the Centcom training facilities and other future military use of the AFP.

“The possibility of swapping or exchanging portion of Lot 1079 consisting an area of 7,559 square meters, more or less, owned by Centcom with portions of some of the properties of the province of Cebu, on which the Administration Building and other vital facilities of Centcom are located, with a total area of 7,559 square meters, more or less, has bee duly considered by the AFP-CPG JTWG (Cebu Provincial Government Joint Technical Working Group),” read the MOA.

The purpose of the agreement is “to establish the reciprocal commitments of the parties on the relocation and functional replication of the buildings/structures/facilities of Centcom headquarters and its tenants and supporting units and troops,” read the agreement.

No Commercial Use

Cebu City Mayor On-Leave Tomas Osmeña vowed to block any commercial development of the Centcom lot.

The mayor has cited traffic congestion in the area as the main reason why the city will oppose the commercial development of the area.

Osmeña also took potshots at Capitol saying that aside from the traffic congestion, the “province doesn’t also want to pay taxes to the city.” This is referring to the refusal of Cebu Province to pay taxes for the operation of the Cebu South Bus Terminal.

“The City will not allow any major commercial development in that area tungod sa traffic, kung mo-allow ta, atong unahon ang mga taxpayers,” Osmeña said.

On the other hand, the mayor expressed his dismay to the national government for not following its own declaration. Osmeña was referring to Presidential Proclamation 409 declaring some parcels of land situated in Apas as socialized housing sites.

This is in relation to the implementation of Republic Act 7279 also known as the Urban Development and Housing Act of 1992.

But by turning over the Centcom lot back to the Capitol, the affected residents and the mayor believe that the proclamation will go to waste.

“Nakahatag na ang presidente og presidential proclamation, pait gyud kun mao na ang atong gobyerno nga dili mosunod sa ilang kaugalingong proclamation unsa may mahitabo sa nasod kung mao na ang sistema,” Osmeña said.

The mayor, however, said that he is looking for ways that the affected families will remain in the area.

Though governor Gwendolyn Garcia assured the informal settlers that they will be taken care of, the residents and the mayor don’t believe her.

Osmeña said that the governor is anti-poor and the possibility of evicting them may come anytime soon that is why he is also asking the residents to pray.

   Mag-ampo na lang kitang tanan nga mobalik ang kaugmaon sa atong urban poor kay ang atong governor anti-poor tua siya dapig sa mga dato,” Osmeña said.

Rama To Form Team

Acting Mayor Michael Rama will form a team to look into legal remedies of the plight of the 1,200 families in barangay Apas. Rama said he will meet with City Administrator Bimbo Fernandez, City Attorney Officer in Charge Joseph Bernaldez and some councilors to discuss the plight of the residents of Apas, who are affected with the newly signed turn over of military lots to the province.

“There has to be Bimbo, being the focal person on urban poor, and then the city attorney and some councilors as we have to look into remedies, a government should solve the problem, not an entity that will create dislocation,” Rama said.

He said the primary angle that will be looked into by City Hall was the Presidential Proclamation, which declared areas in barangay Apas as socialized housing areas.

“We thank the mayor for being consistent, and so we will look into that proclamation,” Rama said. There are seven sitios of barangay Apas which are seen to be erased from the voting map of Cebu City now that the military finally decided to return its lots to the Cebu Province.

Plea Of Residents

Close to 100 of the more than 1,000 families living in the former military reservation lots assembled at the Apas barangay hall yesterday morning before they trooped to the CICC in Mandaue City.

Ma. Linda Paracueles, president of the Alliance of Barangay Apas Community Association (Abaca), said she and her members are hoping that the governor will grant their request because they already learned to love their place.

Paracueles and her members staged a prayer vigil in front of the Centcom gate last Sunday evening to protest the signing of the agreement to return the military camp’s lot back to Capitol.

When Capitol donated 80 hectares to the military in 1959, it was clearly stated that it will be automatically reverted back to the provincial government once the lots will not be used for a military reservation.

The families living in the lots admit that the properties do not belong to them, but they are just appealing to the governor. — with Rene U. Borromeo and Niña Sumacot/NLQ FREEMAN NEWS)