FLI to pay City Hall as Rama remains adamant to Rallos

FILINVEST Land Inc. yesterday said they will settle their P245.2 million obligation to City Hall on condition that the city work on the claims of the Rallos family in portions of the South Road Properties.

It is, however, unclear how this can proceed as Mayor Michael Rama maintains City Hall’s position of not paying the amount ordered by the court as payment of just compensation to the Rallos family.

Rama said the actual cost of the Rallos lot was only one-third of the amount now being asked from the city. The courts have appraised the cost of just compensation the city owes the Rallos family at P133-million, including interests while the case was dragging for decades.

City administrator Jose Marie Poblete said he could not divulge at this time full details of FLI’s conditions, saying “it is something related to the lot case.”

“It’s a good gesture for Filinvest to come here and talk about it. They are willing to pay, naa pa lang silay gi suggest nga kinahanglan buhaton and I leave it to the legal department to do,” said Poblete.

Tristan Las Marias, FLI first vice president for Visayas and Mindanao, visited the office of Rama yesterday morning to discuss their concerns on the encumbrances on the title of SRP lots, which were earlier identified for a joint venture between the city and FLI.

Rama said Las Marias visit was a “good sign”.

“We hope that things will be coming out for the best and not for the worst.  There is always a better way of addressing these concerns,” he said.

Poblete said Las Marias expressed FLI’s willingness to settle this year’s due amounting to P245.2 million.

He said the city government would also be asking FLI to release P600 million as the city’s share of profits from the preselling of their condominium units.

“Ang gusto lang nila nga ipa kita nato that we are working that (Rallos heirs claims) out.  They are eager to pay but they are also asking for out help and we have to do it because the land (subject to the joint venture agreement) is still owned by the city,” Poblete said.

Meanwhile, Rama said yesterday that he will authorize the city legal office to educate the council on the status of the Rallos road lot claims and that of the city’s other road lot expropriation cases now pending in court.

The City Council on Wednesday passed a resolution asking the city legal office to brief them on the status of the Rallos lot case.

A second resolution asked for an update on the status of road lot expropriation cases pending in court. /Doris C. Bongcac, Chief Reporter