Newsbriefs

Capitol backs Korean consulate

THE Capitol is supporting the establishment of a Korean consulate to attend to the welfare of the South Korean community in Cebu.

“Although we already have an honorary consul, considering the huge influx of Koreans into Cebu, it is just proper that there should be a consulate here,” Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia said.

She said China and Japan already had consulates in Cebu so it makes sense for South Korea to build one in the province.

The Department of Tourism (DOT-7) in Central Visayas said Koreans are the top foreign visitors in Cebu, followed by the Japanese, Americans, Australians and Chinese.

Cebu Korean Association Inc. vice president Charlie Shin said they were expecting closer economic and diplomatic ties between South Korea and Cebu with the establishment of sisterhood ties last week.

Shin, who proposed for the creation of a consulate in Cebu, said Gyeonggi, the largest province in South Korea, plans to build sisterhood province ties with Cebu.

Officials led by councilman Lee Jai Cheon visited Governor Garcia last week.

Shin proposed the establishment of a consulate following the kidnap and release of South Korean national Kwon Young Hoon by fellow Koreans in a safe house in Lapu-Lapu City.

Shin said the incident won’t scare South Koreans from visiting Cebu. Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus

Gwen chides Protestant group on ad

CEBU Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia chided a Protestant group for questioning her move to review the Cebu City government’s donation of the Osmeña Shrine to them which they published in a paid advertisement in a local paper.

Romeo Borado, president of the Evangelical Christian Coalition of Cebu Inc., said the governor’s move to review the shrine donation would be “political suicide” since there are a lot of Protestant groups that would sympathize with their plight.

“I thought belonging to a very religious group, they would be the last to sell their votes because they are presumed to be of high moral character,” Garcia said.

The governor said she wants to review the terms of the province’s donation to the shrine area to Cebu City.

Earlier residents of Beverly Glenn and Beverly Hills, Kalunasan and Lahug voiced concerns over plans by the Protestant group to build a cemetery in the shrine area.

They said the cemetery may contaminate their water supply and pose other health hazards.

They asked the provincial government to intervene, being the original owner of the shrine area, which was donated to the city in honor of the late president Sergio Osmeña Sr. The lot was never fully developed.

The donation was made through the intercession of then Cebu City Mayor Tomas Osmeña, barely a week before the May 2010 election. Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus

Trader files suit on Lahug lot

A BUSINESSMAN filed a civil suit against a couple who claimed ownership of a lot in Capitol Hills in barangay Lahug, Cebu City.

Andrew Gotianun Sr., founder and chairman emeritus of Filinvest Land Inc. (FLI), asked a Cebu City court to declare the lot title they possessed as valid over the claims made by spouses Epifanio and Tomasa Labiste.

Also claiming ownership were the heirs of Jose Labitad.

Gotianun claimed to be the co-owner of a parcel of land, which is covered by Transfer Certificate of Title No. 2711.

The lot is registered at the Registry of Deeds in Gotianun’s name.

However, Gotianun said the owner’s duplicate of Transfer Certificate of Title No. 2711 was “lost and beyond recovery.”

The plaintiff filed a petition for reconstitution of the title in court.

In September 2009, the plaintiff learned that the defendants claimed ownership of their property.  The defendants were issued a Transfer Certificate of Title No. RT-7853.

But Gotianun claimed that the Transfer Certificate of Title No. RT-7853 is “bogus” because of some omissions on its entries.

“TCT No. RT-7853 of the Labisted in invalid, null, and void because its title number 7853 was already issued to Leona Boltrom … to a parcel of land situated in barangay Bacayan, Cebu City,” said Gotianun’s lawyer Avelio Salcedo.

Gotianun’s FLI is the developer of a 50.6-hectare lot at the South Road Properties (SRP). Reporter Ador Vincent Mayol