Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Binay intervenes in Cebu lot row


By Jujemay G. Awit and Oscar C. Pineda

Thursday, July 7, 2011

CEBU CITY -- Vice President Jejomar Binay stepped into two disputes involving the Cebu Provincial Government and occupants of its properties in Cebu City, then said he is optimistic a solution remains within reach.

But one of his meetings briefly hit a sour note, when Representative Tomas Osmeña again blamed Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama for an aborted plan for the city and province to exchange lots five years ago.

“I do not foresee any solution to this problem until the governor is changed,” said Osmeña, who shared a table with the vice president and Mayor Rama.

Rama didn’t fire back. But he pointed out in a later interview a statement from Governor Gwendolyn Garcia that she will solve the problem before her term ends in 2013. One person cannot derail the entire negotiation process, as long as other people help, he said.

“The most important thing is everybody will make a stand to help, like me, as the mayor. And the City Council, for sure, would want (to help),” Rama continued.

Binay met with two groups of occupants of Capitol-owned lots in Cebu City. As chairman of the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council, Binay said he wants to facilitate a solution and see how the national housing agencies can help.

At the Ayala Terraces meeting were 93-1 settlers from 11 barangays. The number refers to Ordinance 93-1, which the province had passed to give occupants the chance to own the government lots they had built their homes on. Most of these occupants have allegedly failed to pay for the property, even if the province postponed their deadlines twice.

Favor

At the Sacred Heart meeting were occupants of Capitol-owned land inside the military camp in Barangay Apas, the Alliance of Barangay Apas Community Association (Abaca).

Abaca pleaded with Binay to let them stay in their lots but the Vice President repeatedly asked for more concrete proposed solutions instead.

“We appeal that this problem be solved. We used to go to Manila for this. Now, we thank you for coming here,” Rebecca Flordeliz told Binay. “Please let our dreams come true.”

Others, like retired soldier Raul Lepiten, tried to call in an old favor. “We campaigned for you in Apas and we were so happy you were elected,” he told the Vice President.

“Give us concrete solutions on how to solve the problem. Tell us the obstacles and how we can solve it,” Binay told the Abaca members in Tagalog, “We cannot solve this immediately, so I will come back and we will meet again.”

It was Abaca president Marlene Paracueles who made it clear that they wanted Binay’s help to implement fully Presidential Proclamation 409, which was signed by then president Gloria Arroyo.

That proclamation declared 32 out of the 80 hectares of property occupied by the Central Command (CentCom) as a socialized housing site.

Lawsuit

However, that prompted Capitol, which owns the land, to ask for the return of the properties donated to CentCom because a provision under the donation agreement states that the property should remain a military reservation.

In 2009, the Capitol and the Department of National Defense, through then secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., signed an agreement for the return of the CentCom donated lots to Capitol.

This worried the Abaca members, who sought Binay’s help.

But Garcia will not budge until a civil suit the residents filed is settled.

“We cannot meet if they will not drop the case,” said the governor, referring to the case Abaca filed along with Osmeña and Apas Barangay Captain Ramil Ayuman as complainants.

They had named the province as a respondent, along with then Vice President Noli de Castro, the defense secretary Teodoro and other government officials.

Abaca members also lamented that de Castro promised to settle their problem but a solution never materialized. “Si Jojo Binay ho ang kaharap ninyo ngayon,” the vice president answered.

The meeting at Ayala Terraces brought Osmeña and Rama to the same event, a rare occasion these days.

But no olive branches were offered.

Attack

Instead, former mayor Osmeña narrated the proposal for the city to exchange a commercial block with Capitol lots covered by Ordinance 93-1. That would have allowed the City to take cover the collection of payments from the occupants, while guaranteeing their security.

Gesturing at Rama, Osmeña said the negotiation was cancelled because the vice mayor then said something that insulted the province.

“Tama ba, yon? Is that the truth?” Osmeña asked the audience.

Rama remained silent.

In an interview later, he said: “That’s an over-discussed matter…Let’s not go back because we cannot solve anything if we go back.”

Capitol consultant Rory Jon Sepulveda, when sought for comment, said he hoped the media would not “feast on these snide remarks.”

“Discussing it as if it is purely within the discretion of a single person will not facilitate a swift resolution of the issue,” he added.

Osmeña, former congressman Raul del Mar and Pagtambayayong Foundation Inc. president Francisco Fernandez also met with the vice president.

They were all still in office at the height of the issue.

Offer

The vice president suggested that the group break up “the 93-1 problem” into smaller challenges they can then solve, staring with the easier ones.

Binay said Wednesday’s meetings were just the start of consultations with dwellers and asked for more counter-proposals from the residents.

Representatives of the 93-1 Movement, a federation of 43 homeowners’ associations, said they are willing to pay more than what they were initially charged.

They submitted to Binay a joint resolution that said that for those who have partially paid, “the valuation of the unpaid area shall be subjected to 50 percent increase as set in Ordinance 93-1, as amended.”

Those who have not paid anything at all will bear a 75 percent increase, the resolution added.

The residents noted the governor’s sincerity when she announced last Oct. 15, 2010 the plan to dispose of the occupied province-owned lots to the program beneficiaries.

Payment

“We just want to be paid just compensation for the properties involved,” said Atty. Sepulveda.

He urged everyone to step back as Provincial Ordinance 93-1 is a matter of law, “and the law provides kadtong di kabayad (that for those who have not paid in full), whatever payments made are deemed forfeited.”

Binay urged stakeholders to come up with a compromise and urged them to submit a position with an “opening” for negotiations.

Community Mortgage Program officer Atty. Miriam Quizon said there is a budget of P80,000 for each family for the lot purchase. Funds are sourced from the Social Housing Finance Corp. This is available for as long as both buyers and sellers agree on the terms and condition, she told the audience at Sacred Heart.

Abaca president Paracueles said she was satisfied with Binay’s presence Wednesday. Osmeña said he was not.

“After a full meal one is satisfied, but people are still hungry. It’s not the proper word but it’s very encouraging that we have a Vice President that is (active),” the congressman said. “He knew he was walking into a dangerous situation. So we have to give him credit for that.” (Sun.Star Cebu)

Published in the Sun.Star Cebu newspaper on July 07, 2011.

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