Thursday, July 28, 2011
CEBU -- Cordova municipal Mayor Adelino Sitoy on Thursday proposed the transfer of Mactan-Cebu International Airport (MCIA) to his town and offered to the Korean International Cooperation Agency (Koica) 1,100 hectares of foreshorelands to be reclaimed for that purpose.
Sitoy made the proposal in an open forum during the presentation by Koica of the master plan of the Mactan-Cebu International Airport and the feasibility study for the new passenger terminal building.
Sitoy told the Korean airport experts, headed by Young Ung Kim, that every inch of the Mactan airport lands have adverse claims by private individuals who filed cases in various courts, of which some of them are already decided by the Supreme Court in favor of private claimants.
“If you transfer the airport in Cordova, I can guarantee you of immunity from suit,” Sitoy said.
Representative Tomas Osmeņa immediately seconded Sitoy’s proposal saying he can gather the bankers to finance the reclamation of the Cordova foreshorelands, citing business tycoon John Gokongwei who has reportedly a surplus of P80 billion.
Osmeņa said that when he reclaimed the South Road Properties, the price of the land was P1,000 per square. Now, it is selling P15,000 per square meter.
“The proposal of Mayor Sitoy hits the nail squarely,” Osmeņa said. Osmeņa, former Cebu City mayor, earlier proposed his interest to have Cordova annexed to Cebu City.
When sought to comment, Representative Pablo John Garcia said that everything boils down to cost because the people end up paying for it.
“It is easy to talk about reclaiming land. Cebu City did, and the people are paying for its over P6-billion-peso debt until now,” Representative Garcia, brother of Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, said.
The older Garcia also said it is not entirely true that the Cordova reclamation is “immune from suit”.
“I’m sure he (Sitoy) remembers that the Malayan Integrated Industries Corporation has asserted a claim over that. And the Province of Cebu has a valid claim over that under a 1989 MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) with the Public Estates Authority,” Garcia added.
In comparing MCIAA lots and Cordova foreshorlands, Garcia said: “Titled land with potential controversy, I think, is better than land that is not yet there but already with potential controversy.” (EOB)
source:
Mactan-Cebu International Airport
AGREE ??