After three years: Lorega condo project now officially donated to city

CEBU, Philippines — The Cebu City government and Cebu Landmasters, Inc. (CLI) yesterday formally signed the deed of donation for a condominium project in Barangay Lorega, a formality that has been stalled since 2022.

Also yesterday, Cebu City Mayor Raymond Garcia also signed the Executive Order (EO) that outlines the guidelines for the beneficiaries of the housing project, dubbed the Sugbo-Walk Condominium. The building is a five-story medium-rise structure.

During the signing, Garcia explained that the project began during the tenure of the late mayor Edgardo Labella in 2022. Although there are now occupants in the building, the deed of donation had not yet been formally signed.

The project is part of the Pambansang Pabahay Para sa Pilipino Program (4PH Program), the national housing program of the Philippines.

This building is intended to benefit informal settlers in the city and those displaced by various clearing operations in the three-meter easement areas.

In this regard, Garcia thanked the CLI, adding that it reflects the company's commitment to the development of Cebu City, particularly in providing housing security tenure to the city's constituents. He also hoped that this initiative will encourage other developers in the city to enact their own corporate social responsibility programs.

CLI CEO Jose Soberano III also viewed the partnership as a way to honor their roots as Cebuanos, expressing his gratitude that developments like this inspire developers to contribute and help the community. He further mentioned that CLI is open to collaborating on similar projects in the future.

The ceremonial signing was attended by Jose Franco Soberano, Soberano III, and Ronald Anthony Librando, executive director of the Division for the Welfare of Urban Poor, as well as Department of Human Settlements and Urban Development-7 regional director Lyndon Juntilla.

Juntilla explained that the Corporate Social Responsibility Act (RA 7279) mandates all developers to allocate a portion of their resources for constructing vertical or horizontal housing to provide rental housing for the public.

Meanwhile, Garcia also signed an EO titled "An Executive Order Establishing the Guidelines on Beneficiary Selection, Qualifications, Disqualifications, and Tenurial Status of Sugbu Walk-Up One Condominium Located at Barangay Lorega, City of Cebu." The EO also serves as a model and prototype for future socialized vertical housing programs in the city.

The total lot area of the project is 1,200 square meters, consisting of 100 units in a five-story building. Each leased unit has a room area of 24 square meters and is semi-furnished with an electric fan, basic amenities, a lavatory and water closet, and a terrace with a sliding door.

The qualifications for beneficiaries include being a natural person of legal age, a Filipino citizen, and legally authorized to enter into an agreement. Additionally, the applicant must be the head of the family, which includes any person legally defined as a "Solo Parent" under RA No. 8972 or the "Solo Parents' Welfare Act of 2000", or any unmarried man or woman with one or more dependent children under 18 years of age.

Beneficiaries must have also established residency in Cebu City for the past 10 years. — (FREEMAN)