Binay: Let 93-1 occupants buy their lots

LET occupants of 93-1 lots in Cebu City buy the land from the Province of Cebu through the Community Mortgage Program (CMP) with the National Housing Authority as program originator.

Vice President Jejomar Binay gave this proposal to the Cebu City government to address the long-running conflict over lots in Provincial Ordinance 93-1.

Binay said in a letter to Mayor Michael Rama that the scheme was better than the earlier proposal of former mayor Tomas Osmeña to swap the lots for other land owned by Cebu City.

“Under our CMP, the landowners (Cebu Provincial government) will be paid the selling price of its land through the loan by the community association only when the organizational requirements and in particular the deed of sale on the property are fully complied (with),” said Binay. .

Occupants will have to form an association and pool their efforts to buy the land by installment.

Collin Rosell, head of the Department for the Welfare of the Urban (DWUP), released copies of Binay’s Aug. 8 letter yesterday.

He said the mayor, who is in China on official business, “was very amenable to the arrangement” and that Binay’s letter was based on his earlier discussions with the mayor.

Binay said his letter was a “confirmation” of Rama’s cooperation pursue negotiations over Provincial Ordinance 93-1 and convince the provincial government to sell the lots to its beneficiaries.

“HUDCC and Cebu City Government will negotiate with the province about the the sale of its property covered by PO 93-1 to the beneficiaries at Socialized Housing Price, that may be derived from the original price stated in the ordinance,” said Binay’s letter.

Binay said in the letter that the Cebu city government promised a P50 million down payment for the acquisition of the Capitol-owned properties.

“Hopefully, this can create the stimulus in fulfilling a successful negotiation with the PGC. Such amount will be paid back from the proceeds of the CMP loan of the beneficiaries,” he said.

But Rosell said that he was not sure if the P50 million down payment was already available.

He said that if cash would not be available, then the mayor would need the approval of the City Council to allot the funds.

“I don’t think the council will disapprove the appropriation because this is not something that the city will lose. The city will soon be made to recover the amount,” he said.

Rosell said that while sales of the 93-1 lots to its beneficiaries would be done through CMP, processing of the issuance of lot titles would be done individually and upon completion of payment of their amortization.

Binay’s letter also mentioned the availability of a P78 million poverty alleviation fund from the NHA, which the city could use for the construction of medium-rise buildings in the coastal areas.

There is also P12 million from the Regional Resettlement Fund which the city could use for the development of resettlement sites.