SRP auction set next week; big names floated as bidders

INTERESTED bidders for the 9.7 hectares of prime land in the South Road Properties (SRP) will have to wait until next Tuesday.

One of the Rallos heirs asked for a postponement of yesterday’s  auction to April 17 due to a business engagement in Danao City yesterday.

“There was a conflict in my schedule. I had to attend to something personal,” said Roy Rallos.

Roy is one of the grandchildren of Fr. Vicente Rallos and claimants of  a P133 million money judgment against Cebu City  for its expropriation of a family lot in barangay Sambag II in the early ’60s.

While names of major businessmen were floated, no one  dropped an official bid during the pubilc auction at the Sheriff’s Office at the Palace of Justice yesterday.

Roy said business owners like the Gaisanos and some Chinese  traders were interested to bid but were advised not to pursue their plan on pain of legal action from the city government.

“If you are a businessman, you should not be afraid (to join the auction) because there is a court order,” he said for the sale of the  9.7 hectares.

The auction opened at 10 a.m.  By 1:30 p.m., sheriff Eugenio Fuentes announced that  Roy called him  to ask for a  postponement to April 17.

Since there were no bidders yesterday as well, the sheriff agreed.

“We couldn’t do anything about it,” Fuentes said.

The Cebu city government has applied for a  temporary restraining order (TRO) to stop the auction but none has been issued by  the Court of Appeals.

At least two people, who said they were the actual heirs of Fr. Rallos, were in the Sheriff’s Office to ask about the auction.

“We will oppose the auction. We are simply after  the truth,” Marian Rallos told Cebu Daily News.

Marian said they have evidence to prove that Roy’s relatives were  just pretending to be the heirs of Fr. Rallos.

She said her grandfather is the brother of Fr. Rallos while Roy’s father Lamberto is the son of Fr. Rallos’ helper.

She said they already intervened in the case filed by Roy and 28 others against the Cebu city government.

The court dismissed the petition filed by Marian’s group  of 71 claimants.

Marian showed a photocopy of a  Certificate of Death showing that Fr. Rallos died on Oct.15, 1952, from congestive heart failure. The document described the priest’s status as  “single.”

She said this meant that Fr. Rallos had no children. Marian said Roy’s group forged the signature of Fr. Rallos to make it appear they were the priest’s heirs.

“We have the documents to prove our claims,” she said.

When sought for comment, Roy simply laughed.

“We have the same last name but if we will try to trace it, they (the other parties) are far from us,” he said.

Sherrif Fuentes said interested parties must submit their  bids in sealed envelopes, which he will open after 2 p.m., the end of the auction period. The  highest bidder wins.

The minutes of the auction will be given to the  winning bidder who has to pay  the government commission to the cashier.

A Certificate of Sale will  be issued to the winning bidder who has to pay the amount and then inform the Register of Deeds.

The winning bidder cannot build anything on the lot within a year after the sale is  brought to the attention of the Register of Deeds, a period of redemption.

Fuentes said the city government may redeem the SRP lot by paying the amount paid by the winning bidder and its interest.

For her part, Acting Cebu City Treasurer Ofelia Oliva said the SRP lot sale may drastically  reduce this year’s budget.

“But Filinvest assured that they will pay their  amortization plus the 10 percent share of the city government as part of its joint venture with the city,” she said. Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol and  Correspondent Tweeny Malinao