Tom eyes charges over proposed SRP property acquistion for BRT project

Local

CEBU City Vice Mayor Tomas Osmeña has threatened to file charges over the proposed acquisition of properties along F. Vestil Street in Barangay Mambaling for the Cebu Bus Rapid Transit (CBRT) project.

This has prompted the Cebu City Council to keep payment processing on hold.

“I will be filing a case in the Ombudsman on the purchase of this property,” Osmeña said during the City Council’s Sept. 29 session.

He questioned the reported ₱80,000-per-square-meter valuation and estimated cost of about ₱200 million, particularly the use of what he described as commercial property for relocation purposes.

Osmeña said the funds deposited by the Department of Transportation (DOTr) with the city were intended to address the displacement of people affected by the project.

He also alleged that the property owner has close links to City Hall and referred to other transactions involving the owner. He did not present supporting documents establishing wrongdoing during the session.

Osmeña asked the council to defer the payment while the matter undergoes further investigation.

“Give me two weeks, and I will file the case,” he said.

The issue reached the council through a September 21 endorsement by Councilor Winston Pepito concerning City Legal Opinion No. 2026-LGO-307-FMA.

The opinion followed a request from CBRT Project Management Office (CBRT-PMO) for guidance on the next steps in processing payments for properties along F. Vestil Street.

The City Legal Office recommended that the CBRT-PMO seek the DOTr’s position on the affected properties and hold payment processing in abeyance while awaiting the national agency’s response.

The recommendation followed the council’s July 3 resolution rejecting the proposed CBRT realignment and calling for the restoration of the original Bulacao-to-Talamban route.

The City Legal Office noted that the council resolution represents the position of the Sangguniang Panlungsod but does not, by itself, cancel the proposed realignment. Authority over the project’s alignment and implementation remains with the DOTr, subject to applicable laws and funding conditions.

It also clarified that the council’s rejection of the realignment does not extinguish an affected property owner’s right to just compensation.

During the session, Pepito initially moved for the CBRT-PMO to submit a report detailing the number of affected persons, the status of property acquisition and payments, the funding source, and communications with the DOTr.

After a brief recess and discussion of Osmeña’s concerns, Pepito withdrew the motion.

Councilor Mikel Rama then moved to adopt the City Legal Office’s recommendation to hold payment processing in abeyance.

The legal office stressed that its opinion remains recommendatory and does not constitute a final decision on the CBRT’s alignment or implementation.(TGP)