DA given 1 more month to stay on province lot

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu Governor Gwen Garcia yesterday allowed the Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the Department of Agriculture to stay for one more month in the Capitol-owned lot they are using along M. Velez Street in Cebu City.

Garcia told reporters during press conference that the transfer of the DA offices is long overdue.

“Kay usufruct ra man gyud na wala man na i-donate, wa nila pod abangi, they were given the right to use for a certain period, which already lapsed,” Garcia said.

Garcia said last September 22, 2009, their usufruct agreement stopped but the governor said they gave them until January 30, 2010.

Recently she said Secretary Arthur Yap called her and asked for an extension until February 28, 2010.

Meanwhile, the different branches of RAFC offices have already started packing their things to bring to their new office in Mandaue City.

DA regional director Ricardo Oblena said that four laboratories will be affected in their transfer and these are the biologic vaccine laboratory, the regional diagnostic laboratory, the bird flu laboratory and the regional feed analysis laboratory.

 He added that if these laboratories will be transferred, this would mean that their operation will have to be halted temporarily for a year because they will have to install everything again.

In response to the problem, Regional Agriculture and Fisheries Council of the Department of Agriculture is now preparing to file a class suit against the Cebu Provincial Government to stop the latter from evicting them from the Capitol-owned property.

On top of the class suit, RAFC has signed up a manifesto on the matter expressing their opposition to the decision of the province to recover the lot.

Provincial attorney Marino Martinquilla said the DA acknowledged its failure to transfer last Sept. 30 when their contract ended because of financial concerns. — Jose P. Sollano and Jasmin U. Labaco/BRP   (FREEMAN NEWS)