THE Supreme Court is asking the Cebu City government to allocate a bigger area than the 7,123 square meter lot that it earlier donated to the Court of Appeals-Cebu station at the South Road Properties (SRP).
CA Cebu Executive Judge Gabriel Ingles said the High Court wants the city government to allocate a bigger area that will house not just the CA but also all the Regional Trial Courts and Municipal Trial Courts in Cebu City.
If the plan pushes through, all lower and appellate courts shall be built in what will be known as the “Judicial Center.” “SC is proposing a land swap for a bigger area, also at the SRP,” Ingles told reporters.
SC Associate Justice Marvic Leonon met with Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama and Vice Mayor Edgardo Labella to discuss about the SC’s plan. Ingles said the mayor was open to donating 1.5 hectares of land to the SC for the Judicial Center.
But when will the plan be realized? Ingles said “Dako pa na og labangonon. (There are still lots of things to do).” “I hope they will expedite the construction of the CA building,” he added.
The CA Cebu Station, which is handling appelled cases all over the Visayas, has been paying a monthly rental of over P200,000 for the use of its current home in Banawa, Cebu City. The SC has already allocated about P336 million for the construction of a new appellate court building.
The plan has been put on hold while the SC is negotiating for a place that will also house the RTC and MTCC.