Senate OKs bill allowing UP to sell Brgy. Krus na Ligas land to QC gov’t

MANILA, Philippines — Voting 19-0-0, the Senate on Monday approved on third and final reading a measure authorizing the University of the Philippines (UP) to sell a portion of its land to the Quezon City government.

Senate Bill No. 2234 consents UP to sell land not exceeding 22,467 hectares in Brgy. Krus na Ligas to the city government at a fair market price acceptable to the University.

Under the measure, the authorization shall be automatically revoked if UP and the local government unit (LGU) would not agree on the terms and conditions of the sale within one year from the effectivity of the act, or when the university would not receive full payment within a year after the execution of the agreement.

Once the ownership of land has been transferred from the university to the city, the LGU is mandated to fence off the UP property to separate it from the area being sold.

The bill also orders the Quezon City government to create a technical working group to identify the legitimate residents of Brgy. Krus na Ligas, who shall be eventual qualified buyers of the land.

The technical working group shall also assist UP, at the expense of the LGU, to resettle all other residents found in the remaining property of the university that is adjacent to the parcels of land in Brgy. Krus na Ligas.

The bill was authored by Senate Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, Senate President Vicente Sotto III, and Senator Francis “Chiz” Escudero, chair of the Senate committee on education, arts, and culture. (Editor: Katherine G. Adraneda)