City okays lot swap; SC to get bigger lot

CEBU, Philippines - Top officials of Cebu City government have agreed to swap a lot at the South Road Properties with that of the Court of Appeals to give way to the court’s office expansion, a Court of Appeals official said.

Together with Supreme Court Associate Justice Marvic Leonen, Executive Justice Gabriel Ingles of the CA-Cebu Station talked with Mayor Michael Rama last month over their intention to swap their 7,123-square-meter lot with a lot of the city at the SRP.

“Mayor Rama and Vice Mayor Labella agreed,” Ingles said, acknowledging though that the process may still take a while as this has to go through the City Council first.

Ingles, in an interview with reporters, said they wanted to acquire a bigger area to construct a judicial center that will house the CA, the Regional Trial Courts (RTC) and the Municipal Trial Court in Cities (MTCC) in Cebu City.

Rama and Labella, Ingles said, have initially agreed to give SC another area at the SRP, specifically the lot right beside the University of the Philippines, which measures not less than 1.5 hectares.

According to Ingles, more than P300 million has been appropriated for the construction of the new building.

The 7,123-square-meter lot at the SRP was donated by former city mayor Tomas Osmeña to the SC on April 26, 2010. The lot’s title was transferred to the SC on May 13, 2011.

The CA-Cebu Station is presently located on a lot along Salvador Ext., Banawa, Guadalupe, which it has been renting since 2004.

Ingles said for this year, they are paying more than P200,000 per month for the rent of the building. — Mylen P. Manto/NSA (FREEMAN)