CEBU CITY, Philippines—The CFI Community Cooperative is asking the Cebu City government to reveal the details of the proposed Joint Venture Agreement (JVA) for the development of the Carbon Market here.
If the city government fails to do so despite accepting the P50,000 the CFI paid for the documents, they will bring to court and the Commission on Audit (COA) the said JVA.
Read: CFI to Cebu City government: give us chance to develop Carbon Market
CFI chairperson Winston Garcia said the CFI will file charges of estafa against the Joint Venture Selection Committee (JVSC) for failing to release the documents they paid for.
“They gave us until October 16, 2020, to challenge the proposal of Megawide, but they would not release the document. How can we challenge their proposal?” said Garcia.
Garcia questioned the proposed JVA as he said the conglomerate wanted to transform the Freedom Park into a condominium complex, a plan that would destroy the historical value of the area.
Read: Construction giant wants to renovate, restore Compania Maritima, Freedom Park
He also claimed that there was no land appraisal that would help the city government identify the losses to be incurred if the conglomerate’s planned development.
Megawide is set to present to the public their own plans for the market on October 23, 2020.
The CFI said the plans for turning Freedom Park into a condominium unit is already a priceless loss for the city because of the park’s historical value.
‘Not an elected official’
Garcia said he will file charges particularly against Lawyer Floro Casas, the City Administrator and the chairperson of the Joint Venture Selection Committee (JVSC), for estafa and administrative charges at the Office of the Ombudsman for allegedly giving preference to the conglomerate’s proposal.
Read: Labella: SM to fund construction of a modern Carbon Public Market
“Kinsa man si Casas para ibaligya ang Freedom Park? He is not an elected official, he should not act as if he owned Cebu City,” said Garcia.
CDN Digital tried to reach Casas through text messages and calls, but the City Administrator has yet to respond as of time of writing.
The CFI is appealing to the Cebu City government to be fair in selecting proposals for the development of the Carbon Market as the market is for all Cebuanos.
Garcia added that the historical value of the Carbon Market and the Freedom Park should be preserved when it will be modernized, even if what remains is its historical function of being a public place for every Cebuano to enjoy.
/bmjo