Erap defers decision on Arroceros park

Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada has deferred his decision to take possession of the Arroceros Forest Park – one of the remaining forested areas in the city – from its current caretaker, Winner Foundation.

But Estrada said it does mean that the city government is abandoning its plan to recover the 21,428-squaremeter land, a property bought by the City School Board in 1993.

Estrada reminded Winner chairman Regina Roces Paterno the city government intends to take back the property, which it owns under Transfer Certificate of Title No. 214097, since Winner’s contract to manage it expired in 2013.

On July 7, Estrada sent a formal demand letter to Paterno ordering Winner to vacate Arroceros Park within 30 days, “otherwise the city will be constrained to avail of the appropriate legal remedies to protect its ownership of the property.” The 30-day deadline expired on August 7.

“We will push through with our plans. That land was purchased to serve the students, exclusively for educational purposes such as school facilities. It cannot be used for other purposes. We cannot divert from it,” the mayor said.

City legal officer Edward Serapio said the city government will build a gymnasium in a 2,000-squaremeter portion of the property for the students and faculty of the city-run Universidad de Manila (UDM).

The gym, according to Serapio, is a requirement for UDM’s accreditation with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).

Documents released by the Office of the City Legal Office showed the City School Board of Manila bought the property for R65 million from the Land Bank of the Philippines; the fund was sourced from the city’s Special Education Fund (SEF).

The deed of sale was executed on December 23, 1993 by former mayor Alfredo Lim and then Land Bank president Jesli Lapus.

Land Bank agreed to the sale on the condition that the property would be used solely for educational, sports, and recreational and/or public service-oriented projects.

But a month earlier, Lim and Winner Foundation signed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) authorizing the latter to create and develop a forest park in the property and once it is completed, Winner “shall turn over the same to the control and supervision of the City of Manila.”