City, Capitol eye 2nd 93-1 land swap

• Source: https://www.philstar.com/the-freeman/cebu-news/bottom-article-list/2018/05/11/1814246/city-capitol-eye-2nd-93-1-land-swap
• Saturday, May 12, 2018

By Odessa O. Leyson, Lorraine Mitzi A. Ambrad (/GAN, The Freeman)

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City and Cebu Province are planning to enter into another land swap deal for the 3,000 occupants of the province-owned lot in Barangays Apas, Banawa and Busay.

Cebu City Executive Assistant to the Mayor Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez assisted the occupants to the Office of the Governor yesterday in order to discuss the matter.

Fernandez said Governor Hilario Davide III has agreed in principle that the city government and the province will enter a land swap deal just like the scheme covering the 93-1 deal wherein both local government units exchanged properties.

Fernandez said a series of meetings is expected to finalize the agreement.

“Duna’y mga grupo, 13 kuno to ka grupo with around 3,000 occupants sa province-owned lot. Okay si governor to talk about it. Ana siya we can make it like the 93-1 and the city and the province will again talk bahin ana,” he said.

Once finalized, the land swap deal will be presented before the City Council and Provincial Board for further approval.

Convergence on Urban Poor Province-Owned Land (CUPPOL) has at least 3,000 household members and is composed of 16 different homeowners association originating from Barangays Apas, Banawa, and Busay.

CUPPOL Officer Alice Espejo said they formed their coalition to lobby for the city and provincial governments to pass an ordinance which will enable them to buy the province-owned lots where their homes are erected.

Fourteen lots owned by the provincial government have been identified by the group.

She said most of their members have been living in their homes for 30 to 50 years already and they wanted to own the lot may it be through donation or purchase.

Cebu Governor Hilario Davide III said that the lots mentioned are not part of the 93-1 agreement between the Capitol and the Cebu City.

He promised the homeowners that the Capitol will take action on CUPPOL's request once the two local government units are done with all the necessary legal procedures to fulfill the provisions of the 93-1 agreement.

In the 93-1 deal, the city government and the province have exchanged properties in order to resolve the long standing issue.

The involved property for the land swapping is the 32.4 hectares of lot covered by Provincial Ordinance No. 93-1 which will be transferred to the city through an exchange of properties.

The city, for its part, will swap the lots with 2.5 hectares at the South Road Properties (SRP), the 13,711 square meter lot of its Sewerage Treatment Plant, 2,475-square-meter slaughterhouse at the North Reclamation Area, nine hectare property in Pulpogan, Consolacion, the 3.3 hectare Block 27, Block 27-A and Block 27-B including the road between them at the North Reclamation Area.

The 93-1 has at least 5,000 beneficiaries from 11 barangays namely Kamputhaw, Capitol Site, Kalunasan, Busay, Luz, Lahug, Mabolo, Apas, Lorega, San Miguel, Kasambagan, and Tejero.