THE long-standing 93-1 land swap agreement between Cebu Province and Cebu City will now be realized as the highest officials of the two local governments are set to sign the deed of donation today (Friday).
Cebu Gov. Hilario Davide III has announced that he will be signing the deed of donation with Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña at the latter’s office Friday.
“I will be going to City Hall tomorrow (Friday). I will be signing the deed of donation,” Davide said on Thursday.
Last Monday (July 30), members of the provincial board (PB) approved the resolution allowing the governor to sign the deed of donation which will formalize the transfer of province-owned lots to Cebu City.
On the other hand, members of the Cebu City Council had earlier approved their resolution on July 5, authorizing the mayor to sign the contract which will resolve the plight of settlers covered by the provincial ordinance.
The Capitol and Cebu City Government have signed a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) in 2016, resolving the lot dispute issue which has taken decades to resolve.
Under the MOA, the province will give a total of 32 hectares spread in at least 11 barangays to Cebu City. This will benefit at least 5,000 families who are residing in these province-owned lots.
Apart from that, the Capitol will also turn over a 1.5-hectare lot within the Department of Agriculture (DA) compound in Barangay Guadalupe, a 2,358-square-meter propery along Gorordo Ave. in Barangay Lahug and a portion of a property in Barangay Capitol Site.
In exchange, the city will give at least 2.5 hectares in the South Road Properties (SRP), the abattoir and the city’s Septage Treatment Plant at the North Reclamation Area, a portion of Block 27 and the city-owned property in Barangay Pulpogan in Consolacion town.
The Cebu City government will also turn over to the province the seven-hectare Cebu City Zoo.
Once the deed had been signed, Provincial Legal Officer Lawyer Orvi Ortega said in a previous interview, that it will need to pass through the Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR) to secure necessary documents for the transfer of the titles of the properties from the province to the city government.