Titling Pond A (South Road Properties)

AFTER the first sale at the South Road Properties (SRP), Cebu City Hall will now work on the titling of the remaining 60-hectare unfilled Pond A, but the area will not be reclaimed.

Mayor Tomas Osmeña is scheduled to meet with Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Lito Atienza on March 12 to discuss the titling and to secure a foreshore lease agreement for the entire waterfront area of the 302-hectare SRP.

City Administrator Francisco Fernandez said the City Government will be leasing the shores of the 10.6-hectare Pond F for Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI’s) beach front development project.



Old concept

“Mayor Tom will discuss all these things with Secretary Atienza. They said it can’t be titled because it’s all water but that’s an old concept. We want to develop that area to have villas on stilts, that’s the new concept, a trend in urban waterfront development so that will be our contention when we ask for it to be titled,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.

Fernandez said that Pond A will be used for a high-end development project, which will be patterned after structures of the man-made islands in Dubai, U.A.E. and the houses that stand on canals in Venice, Italy.

As for the beachfront development, FLI and the City intends to construct a promenade, baywalk and other structures along the shore of Pond F, which FLI will develop into a cluster of high-rise hotels and condominiums.

Lease agreement

Fernandez said it will be easier and faster if the City will be the one to secure the foreshore lease agreement and not FLI, which purchased the 10.6-hectare property.

“Pond A right now is all water but its titling should be allowed already because development concepts have changed.

Anyway, it’s already surrounded by land. The mayor will argue that when he talks to Secretary Atienza. He will also bring up the foreshore lease, whether it’s possible or not, that’s still subject for discussion,” he said.

In a phone interview yesterday, DENR 7 technical director for land management Diana Apistar said the regional office cannot decide if Pond A can be titled as it is, since it’s the central office that decides on such matters.

She said, however, that titling of unfilled properties may be done “on a case-to-case basis.”

“That would require a special patent and it’s the Manila office that decides on those things. Case-to-case basis kasi iyan,” Apistar said.

In September 2005, the City Government was able to secure the certificate of titles for 210 hectares of reclaimed land within the SRP.

The 60-hectare unfilled Pond A, the close to three-hectare portion claimed by the Ting family, and at least 20 hectares of roads and sidewalks are the only remaining untitled portions of the 302-hectare facility.

Also, City Hall has completed all but one of the requirements before FLI turns over on March 3 its P348-million down payment for the joint venture undertaking with the City.

Fernandez said they just have to secure the escrow agreement with the Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP), for the latter to take possession of the titles of all lots covered by the join venture activity. (LCR)