Archival vows to honor 93-1 deal

Local

THOUSANDS of families living on the disputed 93-1 lots in Cebu City will not face demolition under the administration of incoming Mayor Nestor Archival Sr.

Archival on Tuesday said the Cebu City Government already owns the 93-1 properties under a 2018 land swap agreement with the Cebu Provincial Government and is committed to upholding this deal, especially with Governor-elect Pamela Baricuatro expressing her intent to honor it.

“The 93-1 is owned by the city. Ang tag-iya ana ang syudad because we have that agreement already… The owner of the land is actually the Cebu City Government,” Archival said in the MyTV Cebu Openline news media forum on May 20.

“We have spoken with Gov. Pam, and she said she will honor the agreement,” he added.

Archival also said that his incoming administration will begin talks with homeowners’ associations to determine the pricing of the lots based on the Urban Housing Act, which mandates that land for socialized housing should be affordable for low-income families.

“We will set the price based on the Urban Housing Act, social housing prices. Mao na atong tan-awon,” Archival said.

He emphasized that, unlike the outgoing administration of Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia, which set prices based on zonal valuation, his office will push for fair pricing reflective of the economic realities of urban poor residents.

Archival also noted that challenges under Garcia’s tenure, including high lot prices and difficult requirements for Pag-Ibig Fund loans, hindered most of the 6,000 affected families from securing financing.

“Only 17 out of 6,000 families complied. That tells us something,” he said.

“We can assure them nga there’s no demolition anang lugara,” Archival added.

What is 93-1 deal?

The 93-1 issue involves more than 5,000 residents across 11 barangays in Cebu City who have lived for decades on provincial government-owned lots without land titles.

A 2018 agreement between the City and Capitol allowed for a land swap to facilitate ownership transfer to the residents.

However, after delays in implementation, Garcia’s administration instead partnered with the Pag-Ibig Fund to enable direct sales to the occupants.

Residents, however, have struggled to meet loan requirements and afford lot prices ranging from P51,000 to P70,000 per square meter.

Archival, who defeated incumbent Mayor Raymond Alvin Garcia in the May 2025 midterm elections, said that if Gwen Garcia had won another term as governor, the progress of the 93-1 case would have remained “stalled.”

“Ang iyang [Gwen] punto, dili ta pwede ta makapagamay sa price kay there is zoning but ang ato man gud agreement between the homeowners and the city, which kita na ga own is Urban Housing, mao na atong punto gyud,” he said.

“Ug 6,000 per square atong hatag nila unsaon nila pagbayad? At the same time if imong iapply sa Pag-IBIG dili man gyud na madali accept sa Pag-IBIG because of requirements. I think dili gyud na mahitabo,” Archival added.

He further said that setting lower, realistic prices will allow beneficiaries to secure Pag-Ibig loans or make direct payments without financial distress.(TGP)