Capitol holds verification of homeowners’ groups
93-1 residents submit proposal on terms of payment, lot prices
GOV. Hilario Davide III yesterday said that the distribution of lands to the occupants of 93-1 lots was delayed as the technical working group needs to determine the legitimate associations residing in the Capitol-owned properties.
Davide yesterday met with more than 50 residents from Barangay Luz, Cebu City who are occupying the 93-1 properties.
Councilor Nida Cabrera together with Francisco “Bimbo” Fernandez, undersecretary for urban poor, informal settler families and other special concerns of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), assisted the residents.
Davide said that the residents submitted a proposal through Cabrera about the price of the lots and terms of payment.
“We assured them that the technical working group will study the proposal, and whatever agreements that the technical working group will come up with we will make the appropriate recommendations to the Provincial Board for their approval,” said Davide.
About 5,000 Cebu City residents are occupying the 93-1 lots.
In September 2012, members affiliated with the 12 homeowners’ associations and two other groups that are occupying 93-1 lots signed a memorandum of agreement to solve the issue. It was during the time of former governor and now Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia (Cebu, third district).
Vice President Jejomar Binay, who heads the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC), was present during the MOA signing.
Under the agreement, HUDCC will help the families to pay for the lots through the agency’s community mortgage program.
However, Undersecretary Cecilia Alba, secretary-general of HUDCC, told Davide and Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama in a meeting last April 2014 that the agreement had expired in 2013.
Davide explained that the original 93-1 ordinance has a list of homeowners’ associations. But, through the years, other associations were created in a particular area.
Davide said he still needs to talk to Rama on the P500 million that Cebu City is willing to set aside to solve the issue on 93-1 lots.