Cebu City Hall bolsters BFP lot, bldg claim with tax declaration

WHILE both claim ownership, neither the Cebu City Hall nor the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) could show a land title to the lot presently occupied by the Cebu City Fire Department.

Cebu City Legal Officer Jerone Castillo said his office is now drafting the complaint they would file against the BFP before the court.

He said the city has a strong case since they have the tax declaration on the property in its name.

“How can a journal voucher (stating a lot donation to the BFP) prove ownership? Technically, they would find it difficult to prove their claims,” Castillo said, adding that the journal is a mere recording of the planned donation.

Castillo said the BFP had to produce a deed of donation and a deed of conveyance to prove that the donation was consummated. Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama asked the BFP to vacate the lot which the city claims to own.

He said he wanted to use the area as an extension of the Cebu City Medical Center (CCMC) building that was damaged by the Oct. 15 earthquake.

The mayor ordered hospital staff to clear out of the building and transfer their patients to the BFP lobby, covered court and chapel located across the street.

Rama wanted the BFP to vacate their building so the two-story structure may be converted into a temporary hospital.

The city fire department already moved to the Parian substation, but the BFP Central Visayas Office remained behind.

Senior Supt. Ma. Luisa Hadjula wrote CCMC director Gloria Duterte to assert their ownership claims of the BFP lot and building last Oct. 26.

Hadjula reminded Duterte in her three-page letter how BFP personnel helped in the transfer of their patients into their compound.