Can Cebu City Hall donate parcels of land at the South Road Properties (SRP) to the Department of Health (DOH-7) regional office?
This question was raised in Tuesday’s public hearing on the proposed ordinance to transfer ownership of two hectares of land in SRP from the city government to DOH – 7.
Cebu City Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia said the proposed landswap deal may be ineffective citing the existence of Executive Order No. 1505 issued by former President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo in 2008.
“During our committee hearing on the P18-billion Kawit Joint Venture, it was pointed out that the EO supercedes the MOA between Cebu City and DOH. Therefore, it rendered the MOA ineffective. So there’s no more obligation of the city government to transfer the properties to the DOH. This is a legal question I’m asking,” the councilor said.
The EO grants the city government full ownership of the entire 300-hectare SRP. It was issued a year after officials entered into an agreement with DOH in 2007 to donate two-hectares of land in SRP, located within the perimeters of the Cebu City General Services Office (GSO), to put up a quarantine zone.
But Cebu City Councilor Margot Osmeña was quick to respond to Garcia’s questions.
“We already gave the two-hectares to them. That’s why there’s a proclamation by President Arroyo so that the city can have full ownership of the SRP. What we’re doing now is just perfecting it (proclamation),” Osmeña said.