Osmeñas back Binay’s proposal for 93-1 lots

THEY may not be on speaking terms these days, but Rep. Tomas Osmeña of Cebu City’s south district and Mayor Michael Rama are behind Vice President Jejomar Binay’s proposal to let urban poor occupants buy province-owned lots  through the Community Mortgage Program with the city paying a P50 million down payment.

“That’s very good and that’s in fact the best way. Binay is a very reasonable man,” Osmeña said.

The former mayor, a critic of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, said Binay’s proposal meant the city government doesn’t have to deal with the Capitol directly.

Osmeña dared Rama to source the P50 million down payment for the lots .

“If we could afford to pay for Charter Day, top taxpayers dinners and travel allowances, what is P50 million?” he said.

Earlier Rama said he would entertain proposals for solutions to the long-running dispute over lots covered by Provincial Ordinance 93-1,  which involved 5,000 families in Cebu City.

The families, through their association leaders want to negotiate to own the lots they have long occupied.

Osmeña’s wife, Councilor Margot Osmeña, said the council is prepared to help Rama secure the P50 million down payment.   She said the amount could be included in the P1.147-billion supplemental budget.

“If there’s a way that the 5,000 families will already get to own their homes, then why not?” said Councilor Osmeña, who heads the council’s finance committee.

In his letter, Binay said the city government pledged to pay P50 million as down payment or “goodwill deposit” to the Capitol to  start the lot purchase.

The down payment may be recovered after the CMP starts. Correspondent Edison delos Angeles