SM, Filinvest break silence on setback violations issue

SM Seaside City responds to Tomas Osmeña’s accusations that they violated building code regulations (CDN FILE PHOTO).

Two locators at the South Road Properties (SRP) accused by Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña of violating building code regulations have broken their silence on the issue.

In a statement published on their official Facebook page, the management of SM Seaside City Cebu said they have been compliant with the laws and regulations in the construction of their mall at the SRP.

Meanwhile, real estate developer Filinvest Land, Inc. (FLI) announced its intention to fully comply with the regulations of the local government.

“SM Seaside City Cebu has, at all times, complied with all relevant national and local laws regarding the construction of SM Seaside City,” read the SM’s note which was published on Wednesday, January 11.

“All permits issued are valid. The company has and will continue to comply with all government regulations in its course of business,” it added.

Filinvest’s reply

In a separate statement released on Thursday, FLI said it has requested a technical meeting with the city’s Office of the Building Official (OBO) and Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) to clarify alleged easement violations along the highway of the SRP.

“We value our long term joint venture partnership with the city and Filinvest will strictly comply with all the rules and regulations set by the Cebu City government just as it has consistently been doing with the rest of its development projects all over the country,” said Tristan Las Marias, FLI senior vice president and cluster head for Visayas and Mindanao, in a statement.

The developer affirmed that the Il Corso construction onsite adheres to and follows the plans approved by the OBO and as confirmed by the DPWH.
FLI also acknowledged the receipt of notices from the OBO last Friday, January 6, and the Show Cause Notice from the Office of the City Mayor last Monday, January 9.
Cancel permit if ..

Earlier this week, Osmeña announced that he will cancel the building permit granted by the city government to FLI and SM Prime Holdings, Inc. (SMPHI) due to the their properties’ alleged violation of the National Building Code of the Philippines’ rules on setback requirements.

Osmena alleged that aside from building on a setback, FLI’s building permit for Il Corso was also invalid.
The developer allegedly failed to comply with the regulations on height, yard requirements, lot area and percentage of occupancy.

Il Corso

Il Corso is a one-kilometer-long and 100-meter-wide lifestyle strip which is part of the 50.6-hectare masterplanned seaside development of FLI called City di Mare at the SRP.

The strip will feature a home depot, hypermart, beach sandbox, retail shops, and al fresco diners.
A 6-storey hotel will also rise along the property, which will have access to the boardwalk and marina.

On the part of SM Seaside, the mayor said the mall has encroached on the eight-meter setback required for structures along newly developed roads and that it should be free from any obstruction.

The property at the crux of this controversy is the SM Seaside City, a mall which sits at the heart of SMPHI’s 30-hectare SM Seaside Complex development at the SRP.

Aside from the mall, the SM Seaside Complex is expected to also have a hotel and high rise office and residential buildings to be built within the next five years.

SM Seaside City Cebu

SM, Filinvest break silence on setback violations issue SM Seaside City Cebu opened to the public last Nov. 27, 2015.

The five-level mall, which is SM’s third and biggest in Cebu, has an ice skating rink, cinemas, a multi-purpose theatre venue, two directors’ club for film, a bowling center, a sky park, and a 147-meter viewing tower, among others.

With a gross leasable area of 470,490 sq. m., SM Seaside City Cebu is considered as the country’s third largest shopping mall and eighth largest in the world.

It has over 300 food and retail shops now open, including international brands, drawing an average of 200,000 visitors weekly, with 80,000 coming over the weekend.