We won’t sabotage deal: Joel, Sonny (South Road Properties)

AS long as the proposal of Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI) is above board and good for Cebu City, City Hall won’t have to worry about any “economic sabotage” by former Sen. John Henry “Sonny” Osmeña and Tinago Barangay Councilor Joel Garganera.

Sonny assured his cousin, Mayor-on-leave Tomas Osmeña, that he wants the FLI project to push through and “for the SRP to finally make money,” saying the people have already paid a high price for it and basic services have suffered because of the project.

He does not intend to file any case to stop any transaction at the SRP, Sonny said yesterday.

Vigilant

Garganera, who earlier filed a case against City officials over the SRP, urged fellow Cebu City residents to be vigilant and to monitor developments in the FLI proposal and other transactions related to the sale of SRP lots.

He also asked officials of the City Government and the Cebu Investments and Promotion Center (CIPC), the marketing arm of the SRP, to be transparent on the deals they will enter into.

“It’s not only incumbent upon me to look into the details of the proposals just because I’m the one who filed the case. The rest of the Cebuanos should also be vigilant in monitoring the details of the deal. As long as dili ta mabintahaan and it’s good for the City, I will support it, I will not do anything against it,” Garganera told Sun.Star Cebu yesterday.

Before leaving for the United States last Wednesday to seek medical treatment, Mayor Osmeña gave critics of the SRP a stern warning that he will fight back using every tool the City has if anyone sabotages FLI’s proposal.

FLI plans to invest P80 billion in developing 50 hectares of the 302-hectare SRP.

It plans to buy some 10 hectares for P2 billion at P12,500 per square meter, and enter into a joint venture with the City to develop 40 hectares into a mixed-use project, which will include high-rise buildings, medical and retirement facilities and medium-rise residential condominiums.

Details

“We’re happy that at least, finally, there’s someone interested to buy. We don’t know all the details of the Filinvest proposal, that’s why everyone should monitor it. Karon, support lang ta. And for the city officials, the least that they can do is to be transparent about everything to the media and the public,” Garganera said.

In March last year, Garganera asked the court to stop Tomas, the City Council, CIPC and the Register of Deeds from marketing, selling, disposing of or leasing the SRP, saying it will be illegal to do so because the City’s ownership of the SRP has no congressional authority.

Regional Trial Court Judge Soliver Peras denied the application for a temporary restraining order last May 22, 2007 and dismissed Garganera’s complaint last Dec. 11. The case is now on appeal.

Last Wednesday, Tomas reminded reporters of the lawsuit and other legal actions that were filed against them in relation to the South Coastal Road and the SRP and the delays it caused in the sale of the lots, including those caused by Sonny.

“I assure Tommy that I never had any intention, nor will have any intention to file any suit to stop whatever project he has at the SRP. I have stayed quiet these past two years even as he claimed that investors were lining up outside and elbowing their way into the SRP,” Sonny’s statement read.

While there may be some legal questions that have to be settled, Tomas and the prospective investors should welcome them, Sonny said.

“The people of the City are paying a very high price for the SRP. Barangays are forced to use their own funds to collect garbage, a responsibility normally assumed by the City... The City’s internal revenue allotment, designed and intended for agriculture, health and social services, are now being diverted to service the SRP debt,” Sonny said.

He lamented that health care for the constituents has been sacrificed and that the mayor even wants to sell the Cebu City Medical Center.