At least 14 homeowners associations, most of them occupying province-owned lots in Cebu City,聽 have the chance to buy the land by paying for their value within six months.
They signed an agreement with the Province of Cebu yesterday at the Cebu International Convention Center.
Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia signed the agreement聽 with聽 presidents of homeowners associations in seven barangays.
鈥淚 gave my solemn promise that before my term ends, I would resolve the 93-1 issue,鈥� Garcia said during the event witnessed by Vice President Jejomar Binay.
鈥淭oday is the day which you should never forget considering that unlike in the past you were merely occupants of the property and always in danger of the probability that you might be removed from your possession,鈥� said Binay.
鈥淭oday you are now lot owners of the property.鈥�
Ownership isn鈥檛 automatic, however. The asociations have to pay a total of聽 P273,424,085.77 through government lending agencies within聽聽 six months from the day the MOA was signed or the Province can terminated the deal.
鈥淲e鈥檙e very happy to be given a chance to own our own house,鈥� said Claudia Waskin, president of Sugbo-GK Village Homeowners鈥� Association Inc. which has 62 members.
Leonila Untal, 58, of the Railway Station HOA Inc. said she and聽 other members at first were cool to the idea, thinking it was impossible to achieve. But after the MOA signing, they聽 changed their mind.
鈥淚t鈥檚 indeed true that occupants can own the lots. So those who didn鈥檛 push through with the agreement can now look at them with envy,鈥� said Untal in Cebuano.
Untal said only four of their 125 members have聽聽 acquired titles for the land.
The MOA involves lots in barangays Tejero, Kasambagan and Kalunasan; three associations聽 from barangay Busay; and one group in barangay Tunghaan, Minglanilla town.
It also covers six barangays covered by the lapsed Cebu Province Ordinance 93-1 and another organization not covered by the ordinance 鈥撀� Actual Occupants and Residents OPRRA Kalunasan Inc.聽 led by聽 president Jack Rallos.
In the MOA, the province聽 agreed to sell, transfer and convey聽 lots to the homeowners associations subjec to terms of聽 payment to be later agreed on by parties 鈥渋n coordination with some lending agencies or institutions.鈥� /Correspondent Tweeny M. Malinao