93-1 LOT TALKS
RAMA
THE Cebu provincial government made a counter-offer to the Cebu City government’s P500 million proposal for the purchase of lots under Provincial Ordinance 93-1 but Mayor Michael Rama doesn’t look interested.
“I was not expecting a counter-proposal. I was expecting, what we call, bringing forward what was being discussed in a room with honorable men and with an honorable woman,” Rama said yesterday.
Rama said there’s no reason for the city to change its proposal.
“Why will I have to change? If we change our mind, it affects conviction, it affects manhood,” Rama added.
Mayor Rama had offered the Capitol P500 million for the unpaid lots under the 93-1 resolution. A land-swap deal was also considered before.
“The P2.9 billion price was too much since there are informal settlers there,” said Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale in Cebuano, “so the counter-offer was made.”
Rama said yesterday that he hasn’t received a copy of the counter-proposal yet. He said there’s no reason to change the city’s proposal since it was already agreed upon earlier.
Magpale described their counter-offer yesterday as “reasonable and fair.”
Capitol officials, however, remain mum on the figures. Gov. Hilario Davide III said they will not reveal anything until the offer has reached Mayor Michael Rama.
Davide has already communicated with Rama but the mayor has yet to look into the details of the offer.
Based on a technical working group (TWG), the provincial lots sold to occupants under Provincial
Ordinance 93-1 amount to around P2.9 billion, Magpale said.
The TWG, led by Davide, held a “workshop” last week to discuss the proposal.
“In that workshop, we decided that P500 million is not enough,” said Magpale.
Rama was referring to their last meeting attended by Davide, Magpale, former governor Vicente dela Serna, Vice Mayor Edgar Labella, and lawyer Collin Rossell.
In the proposed Memorandum of Agreement (MOA), City Hall offered to pay an initial P100 million to the Capitol once the document was signed. The remaining P400 million would be paid upon transfer of the Certificate of Titles covering the lots under Provincial Ordinance 93-1 located in 11 barangays in Cebu City.
“In fact, it (proposal) was even better than what was being discussed. I don’t know what is a better setup,” Rama said.
The City Treasurer’s Office has earmarked P500 million for the acquisition of the 93-1 lots. A copy of Certificates of Availability of Funds from the CTO is already issued.
The 93-1 lots are located in barangays Kamputhaw, Capitol Site, Kalunasan, Busay, Luz, Lahug, Mabolo, Apas, Lorega, Kasambagan and Tejero in Cebu City with a total area of 51 hectares subdivided into 4,364 home lots.