Davide faces complaint over ‘underpriced’ lots

Cebu governor Hilario Davide III (CDN PHOTO/JUNJIE MENDOZA)

A resident of San Fernando town in southern Cebu has filed a complaint against Gov. Hilario Davide III for allegedly selling province-owned lots in Barangay Kalunasan, Cebu City at a price lower than the appraised value.

Judith Suico yesterday requested the Office of the Ombudsman in the Visayas to conduct a fact-finding investigation against Davide for violating Republic Act 3019 or the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act.

She said the governor can also be held liable for grave misconduct, abuse of authority, conduct unbecoming of a public official, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of service, and gross neglect of duty.

Suico said she filed the complaint as a “voter and taxpayer.”

She accused Davide of selling 1,464 square meters of province-owned lots to 12 beneficiaries at P10 per square meter, way lower than the appraised price of P3,273 per square meter.

Sought for comment, Davide said his administration never sold province-owned lots at P10 per square meter.

The governor said the lots were sold during the term of former Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia. All he did was to sign the Deeds of Absolute Sale for 12 beneficiaries of the Old Philippines Railways Residents Association, Inc. (OPRRA, Inc.), he said.

“My administration never sold those lots at P10 (per square meter). The beneficiaries already paid for the lots during the previous administration,” Davide told reporters.

Davide believed his political opponents were behind the allegations.

“Ang nakadaot ana nila, magkiha-kiha. Gisugo na pud tingali na siya (Suico). Samokon ta to derail us sa atong campaign,” he said.
(The problem with the other camp is they keep on filing charges against me. Perhaps, they also prodded Suico to file a case against me. They are disturbing me to derail my reelection bid.)

Davide said he’s not worried about the latest case filed against him since he can defend himself.

“I hope they will be more creative (the next time around),” said the governor, alluding to the camp of One Cebu gubernatorial candidate Winston Garcia.

Last November, lawyer Ervin Estandarte and former Governor Garcia filed separate complaints against Davide for not rehabilitating the Cebu International Convention Center which was destroyed by the 7.2-magnitude earthquake and Supertyphoon Yolanda in 2013.

In her affidavit, Suico said she read in a local daily about the Capitol’s decision to sell province-owned lots at P10 per square meter last year.

The complainant said Davide violated the Anti-Graft and Corrupt Practices Act, particularly for “causing undue injury to the government,” and “for entering, on behalf of the government, into any contract or transaction manifestly and grossly disadvantageous to the same.”