Tom to persuade Davide to cancel Ciudad project

In these Oct. 21, 2011 file photos, then congressman Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district speaks out against the Ciudad project in a hearing in Barangay Apas, Cebu City. Among those in attendance was Michael Dino of Fifth Avenue Development Corp. (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña said he will try and convince Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III not to push through with the Ciudad project in Barangay Apas.

In yesterday’s press conference, the mayor said the Ciudad project, which started in 2006 but has been stalled until now, would cause a traffic gridlock in the project site which is along the already congested Banilad-Talamban (BanTal) road.

Osmeña said he would use as leverage the city’s ongoing talks with the Cebu provincial government on the land swap deal for the Cebu City lots covered under Provincial Ordinance 93-1.

“We are now into a process of a land swap (for 93-1) and I will make it so lucrative for Davide that he will not even bother with the Ciudad project. I want the people of Cebu to know that (I’m not against) the Ciudad project simply because I am against (Michael) Dino. That’s the propaganda line,” Osmeña said.

Osmeña was referring to Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino, whose Fifth Avenue Development Corp. is the proponent for the Ciudad project.

Osmeña said the BanTal road is the city’s only major commercial artery leading to several mountain barangays in the city including Lusaran, Cambinocot, Paril, Mabini ang Agsungot.

Putting up another major commercial complex along BanTal would only worsen the traffic congestion there and eventually affect other business including housing projects in Barangays Pit-os and Talamban.

Osmeña said it will also be expensive and hard to widen the road.

It will also reduce the values of other properties along the corridor if traffic worsens, he said.

Davide and Osmeña have been in talks for a possible land swap deal in order to resolve the 93-1 lot dispute where provincial-owned lots located within Cebu City barangays have been occupied by residents already.

Among their initial points of agreement is for the city government to turn over lots in Block 27 in the North Reclamation Area, at the South Road Properties (SRP) near the building of the Association of Barangay Councils (ABC), as well as the Cebu City Zoo.

In order to further convince Davide not to push through with the Ciudad project, Osmeña said the city may offer more properties for the provincial government.

“I will discuss all of that. There are many things that we will be land swapping. We will make it as comprehensive as possible. But it will be favorable to the province,” Osmeña said.

“We will offer a combination of many things. Just remember that the province are made up of Cebuanos. If they will benefit from this, it’s fine with me. We will listen if they want cash. But we can give them many things that they can convert to cash,” the mayor said.

The provincial government signed a build-transfer-operate (BTO) agreement with Fifth Avenue Development Corp. last year for the development of the Ciudad project.

Last June, Davide also made a pronouncement that he hopes to start the project within this year already.

Under the agreement, the province stands to earn 0.55 percent of the Ciudad’s monthly gross sales or P200,000 whichever is higher.

Davide also earlier said a team from the province will be working with the settlers to be affected by the project site which is 2.8 hectares big.

But Osmeña said he, as mayor, has to look at the bigger picture: whether or not more people will benefit from the Ciudad project.

“You have to look at the overall picture. And the overall picture is Cebu City. . . . That is the job of the mayor, to make his own independent analysis,” he said.

Osmeña cited as an example the opening of SM City Cebu, which created jobs for some but caused other smaller business particularly in Colon St. to close down because their customers have patronized the new mall.

The mayor said once Ciudad opens, it will mostly have food courts and restaurants.

Osmeña said it can affect other business in IT Park and in Lahug and Mabolo.