Labella: 93-1 land swap deal will benefit residents
Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella says he will personally meet with Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia to discuss details involving the 93-1 land swap deal. | CDND File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella is tightlipped about the details on the negations between the Cebu City Government and the Cebu Provincial Government involving the land swap deal for the 93-1 lots.
But the mayor assured residents of the province-owned lots located in at least 11 barangays in Cebu City that they will benefit from the deal that he is arranging with the province.
The mayor did not reveal any details on the negotiations between the city and the province in the October 28 meeting attended by Cebu City Councilor Raymond Garcia and Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.
“We will assure the Cebu City beneficiaries that the deal will be very beneficial to them especially with respect to the payment [that] they will receive. It must be socialized and should be based on the amount when the provincial ordinance 93-1 was passed by the Province of Cebu, which was 50 pesos per square meters,” said Labella.
Labella said he will personally meet with the governor soon to discuss the details of the land swap.
He said the beneficiaries should be the top priority as there are over 5,000 residents of province-owned lots in the city, which are located in at least 11 barangays.
The 93-1 land swap deal was initially signed by former mayor Tomas Osmeña and then governor, now Vice Governor Hilario Davide III, in 2016.
The deed of donations was signed by Osmeña and Davide in August 2018.
READ: Landmark 93-1 land swap deal to be signed today
The deal, which was made under the administrations of Osmeña and Davide, specified that the province will give a total of 32 hectares spread in 11 barangays under Cebu City.
This will benefit at least 5,000 families who are residing in the province-owned lots.
The Capitol will also turn over to the city the following: a 1.5-hectare lot within the Department of Agriculture (DA) compound in Barangay Guadalupe; a 2,358-square-meter property along Gorordo Avenue 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.
However, Labella and Garcia raised some concerns involving the deal when they took over the posts as Cebu City mayor and Cebu Provincial governor, which led to the current review of the land swap deal. / celr
Disclaimer: The comments uploaded on this site do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of management and owner of Cebudailynews. We reserve the right to exclude comments that we deem to be inconsistent with our editorial standards.
