Garcias threaten to elevate South Road Properties pact to Congress inquiry
By Marian Z. Codilla and Doris C. Bongcac, Reporters
The joint venture agreement between the Cebu City government and Filinvest Land Inc. may undergo congressional scrutiny if City Hall refuses to give a copy to the Capitol.
Rep. Pablo John Garcia of Cebu's 3rd district said he will ask help from his father, Deputy Speaker Pablo Garcia and other allies to call for an inquiry into the agreement in aid of legislation when Congress resumes session on April 13.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia sent a letter to Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña at his office about 2 p.m yesterday, asking for a copy of the signed agreement with Filinvest.
The agreement covers 50.6 hectares within the South Road Properties (SRP).
She said she wanted to know the grounds behind the Capitol's disqualification from challenging Filinvest's unsolicited proposal as well as the document's signatories.
Capitol consultant Rory John Sepulveda showed the media the provincial government's analysis of the joint venture agreement.
Governor Garcia questioned why the 10.6 hectare prime lot of SRP was disposed of without public bidding.
A copy of the draft JV agreement obtained by the governor's office mentioned that Filinvest will submit their development master plan to the city within one year from the agreement's effectivity.
Sepulveda said a portion of the draft agreement mentioned that “Filinvest can alter the master plan by issuing a 90-day notice to the city.
A 20-year period was also issued to Filinvest to develop infrastructure facilities in the SRP.
“Is an integrated and well-planned cluster of medium rise residential buildings and retirement and care complexes consistent with a Central Business District type of development?” Sepulveda asked.
Congressman Garcia said the planned review of the JV agreement should not be interpreted as retaliation for Osmeña's move to stop commercial development of province-owned lots.
“Would anybody else have cared?... You should thank the province for taking the cudgels in the interest of public good,” the governor said.
The mayor questioned why Governor Garcia made allegations about anomalies in the SRP agreement.
“Maybe I have too much chemicals in my brain but I don't know what she (Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia) is saying,” Osmeña said.
He said the Land Bank of the Philippines will not release the titles of the SRP property unless it receives the proceeds paid for by the city to them.
The LBP, he said, will issue the sold titles to the buyer.
The mayor said Vice Mayor Michael Rama signed the agreement since he was acting mayor at the time while Osmeña was undergoing chemotherapy sessions in the United States.
“I didn't work out the details. I didn't have the copy because I didn't signed it,” Osmeña said.
In the meantime, the Cebu City government will sign a memorandum of agreement with the University of the Philippines Visayas Cebu College for the use of the 5.1 hectare donated lot in the SRP at the mayor's office.
The lot is intended to house a graduate school for call center employees working at the SRP area.
Mayor Osmeña said under the setup, call center employees will earn a masteral degree while working through their schedule.
“They don’t have to go home because the classes will be timed to the work schedule,” he said.
Osmeña said the investor for the building will lease to the call centers and build the classrooms but will not pay the land.
“The city's tagline will be 'if you want an MBA, work at SRP,” Osmeña said.
He said Cebu will be able to produce several thousand of MBA graduates a year.
Osmeña said they will compete with Singapore and Hong Kong in building a regional headquarters for outsourcing businesses.
Amid the proposed new UP graduate building at SRP, UP alumni and students will hold a black T shirt rally to protest the closure of the UP High School to be discussed by the UP Board of Regents on March 26.
The Cebu City Council passed a resolution last year opposing the closure.
The UP Cebu High School is a laboratory and training ground for Education students in UP College.
But UP Cebu College said it is unable to subsidize the high school’s budget.
“The UP Administration should heed that clamor of the alumna's opposition and to continue the operation of the UP High School,” Councilor Hilario Davide III told .