Tom asks people’s help to fight ‘landgrabber’ (South Road Properties)

THREATS of a lawsuit by Talisay City officials and their claim over a 50-hectare portion of the South Road Properties (SRP) will not affect Cebu City Hall’s ongoing negotiations with Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI), city officials said yesterday.

While Acting City Mayor Hilario Davide III and City Hall’s Joint Venture Selection Committee (JVSC) are confident of the City’s ownership of the SRP, Mayor-on-leave Tomas Osmeña sought his constituents’ help in protecting SRP from a “landgrabber,” apparently referring to Rep. Eduardo Gullas (Cebu, 1st district).

Gullas said last Wednesday that the Talisay City Government is expected to take legal action if Cebu City tries to sell the 53.44 hectares it is claiming.

In a text message sent from Houston, Texas where he is undergoing treatment for his bladder cancer, Osmeña asked Cebu City’s constituents to stand up for the 302-hectare facility.

“Please tell the people of Cebu City that I am sick and cannot defend the SRP as much as I would like to. I need the help of my constituents against this landgrabber. I
did this project for you and not for myself. Please stand up and help me defend what is rightfully yours,” his text message read.

Davide said yesterday that he was surprised why Talisay’s officials are saying they did not know about the titling of the SRP lots that Talisay claimed.

City Administrator Francisco Fernandez, also chairman of the JVSC, said if Talisay will question the titles issued to Cebu City, it should sue the President for signing the presidential proclamation on the SRP’s ownership.

“As far as the ownership issue is concerned, Filinvest Land has no doubt that Cebu City owns the SRP. It took us three years to get those titles, even DENR denied their claim... I’m surprised that they were surprised that the lots were titled under the City’s name, because they knew all along,” Davide told reporters.

Davide further said that if Talisay City officials are questioning the titles of the SRP, they will also have to question the presidential proclamation stating that the SRP is within and is owned by Cebu City.

Talisay will also have to question the opinion of the Department of Justice (DOJ), which decided in favor of the Cebu City Government, he said.

“The title is no longer an issue. I don’t think it will affect our negotiations,” he continued.

Except for the unfilled 60-hectare Pond A and a two-hectare lot claimed by the Ting family, all other lots at the SRP, spanning some 210.074 hectares, were titled in the Cebu City Government’s name in September 2005.

For his part, Fernandez said yesterday that ownership of the SRP was not discussed in any of their meetings on the ongoing negotiations with FLI “because the titling is a non-issue.”

“That is no longer an issue. Ang among contention ana is that they know the titles have already been issued, they know that there is a Presidential Proclamation on that.

They should sue the President for issuing that document,” he added. (LCR)