Council refers 93-1 land swap deal to ad hoc body

Cebu City councilors discuss the 93-1 lot issue during their regular session yesterday. (CDN PHOTO/CHRISTIAN MANINGO)

THE two rival camps in the Cebu City Council argued long over the land swap deal between the city and the Cebu province.

But in the end, they both decided during their regular session yesterday that the memorandum of agreement (MOA) between the city and the province will be referred to the council’s ad hoc committee formed for the 93-1 lot dispute resolution.

In a 9–8 vote, the council decided to allow the ad hoc committee to review the contents of the MOA and render a report about it during the council’s next regular session Tuesday next week.

It took long for Councilor Jose Daluz III, who heads the ad hoc committee and of the committee on social services and housing, to convince them before the council allowed the referral.

“Personally, I am for land swapping as mode of acquiring the 93-1 lots from the province. There’s no question about that anymore. But please give us a little time to peruse the MOA because that’s in the rules,” Daluz told the council.

He said the committee wants to also consult with the 93-1 beneficiaries on what they think about the agreement, which was signed by Mayor Tomas Osmeña and Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III last week even without authority yet from the city council and the provincial board, respectively.

The ad hoc committee is composed of Daluz; Councilor Raymond Garcia, who heads the committee on laws; Councilor Jocelyn Pesquera, who heads the committee on budget and finance; Councilor Jerry Guardo who heads the committee on infrastructure; and Councilor Philip Zafra, who heads the committee on barangay affairs.

However, other councilors from the Bando Osmeña-Pundok Kauswagan (BOPK) bloc tried to point out that the land swap is just between the city and the province and that the concerns between the city and the settlers will come later on.

“Let’s just finish this one. We have to start somewhere. They have been waiting for decades. We should just start with step one. Everything else will just follow,” said Councilor Margarita “Margot” Osmeña.

Close to a hundred 93-1 settlers filled the session hall yesterday to witness the council’s discussion on the land swap deal.

But Daluz continued to plead that the ad hoc committee be also given time to review the MOA since it was just recently given to them. Councilor Hanz Abella objected to the referral, prompting the council to put Daluz’s proposed referral into a vote.

The 16 councilors voted equally at 8–8. Only Councilor Edu Rama was not present yesterday since he is abroad. It was Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella, the council’s presiding officer, who broke the tie by agreeing with Daluz.