No resolution in sight as 93-1 deal hits snag anew

Local

THE revived negotiations over the decades-old 93-1 land issue hit another hurdle after the Cebu Provincial Government found that Capitol-owned properties proposed for swapping now carry higher market values than the lots being offered by Cebu City.

Provincial Administrator Ace Durano said Capitol and Cebu City still need to settle the valuation issue before the proposed land swap agreement can move forward, noting that Commission on Audit rules require exchanges to be on a “value per value” basis.

“Based man gud sa recent valuation on record, mas taas og valuation ang property sa provincial government compared sa valuation sa Cebu City government properties,” Durano said.

Because of the disparity, Capitol plans to reevaluate the properties originally included in the proposal, as conditions and land values have already changed since the agreement was first discussed years ago.

To continue negotiations, the Provincial Government will create a technical working group (TWG) composed of representatives from the Provincial Assessor’s Office, Provincial Legal Office, Provincial General Services Office, the Office of the Governor, and members of the Provincial Board.

Durano said the TWG will directly handle discussions with Cebu City regarding the proposed exchange of Capitol-owned lots covered under the 93-1 ordinance.

The executive order formally creating the TWG is still being prepared.

Part of the discussions will also involve determining which portions of the 93-1 property can still be included in the proposed swap arrangement.

Records from Capitol showed that only 46.02 hectares remain saleable from the original 51.12-hectare property.

Of that area, 14.09 hectares have already been sold to beneficiaries.

A total of 1,473 lots were already fully paid and covered by Deeds of Absolute Sale, accounting for 33.61 percent of the saleable land area.

“Pasabot ana dili na tibook ang yuta. Kahibaw na ang Cebu City ana,” Durano said.

Durano clarified that only the unsold portions of the property may still be covered by the proposed agreement.

Some remaining lots are still occupied by residents even if ownership issues have yet to be finalized.

Durano said Cebu City may eventually assume management of those areas if the land swap pushes through since the occupants are city residents and the properties are within Cebu City’s jurisdiction.

“In terms of administration, the Cebu City Government should be rightfully doing this because they’re dealing with the constituents,” he said.

The 93-1 issue stemmed from a 1993 provincial ordinance allowing long-time occupants of Capitol-owned lots in Cebu City to purchase the land they occupied.

In 2018, then governor Hilario Davide III and then Cebu City mayor Tomas Osmeña entered into a land swap agreement aimed at resolving the long-standing dispute, but the deal was later rescinded by former governor Gwendolyn Garcia.

Garcia instead pursued a separate arrangement involving Pag-IBIG financing for qualified beneficiaries.

The decades-old 93-1 controversy resurfaced in 2025 after Baricuatro ordered a review of the proposed land swap deal between the Cebu Provincial Government and Cebu City.

The Cebu Provincial Appraisal Committee last year to finalize the valuation of lots covered by the proposed agreement after beneficiaries raised concerns over the high valuation set by the Pag-IBIG Fund.

The 51-hectare property covers 11 Cebu City barangays, while Cebu City offered properties in the South Road Properties, North Reclamation Area, and Consolacion in exchange.

The issue was earlier declared resolved by Garcia after the Pag-IBIG Fund released P22.3 million for 16 beneficiaries during an April 2 “Kaliwaan” ceremony where deeds of absolute sale were turned over.

However, Baricuatro and Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival revived discussions on the land swap arrangement first signed in 2018 by then governor Hilario Davide III and then mayor Tomas Osmeña before it was rescinded in 2019.(MyTVCebu)