93-1 land: Archival, Baricuatro aligned, want it resolved

incoming Cebu City Mayor NestoR Archival Sr.and Cebu Governor-elect Pamela Baricuatro | CDN Digital file photos

CEBU CITY, Philippines — The decades-long impasse over Cebu City’s controversial 93-1 land issue may finally see resolution.

This comes after incoming Cebu City Mayor Nestor Archival Sr. and Governor-elect Pamela Baricuatro committed to honor and implement a 2018 land swap agreement that would allow thousands of informal settlers to legally own the lots they have occupied for years.

Archival, in a media forum on May 20, confirmed that the Cebu City Government retains ownership of the 93-1 lots, which cover over 5,000 families across 11 barangays, and that both city and provincial governments under the new leadership are now aligned in pushing for a long-overdue settlement.

READ: Nestor Archival: How a farmer’s son became Cebu City’s next mayor

“The 93-1 is owned by the city. Ang tag-iya ana ang syudad (The owner of that is the city) because we have that agreement already…The owner of the land is actually the Cebu City Government,” he said.

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

Archival said his administration will begin consultations with homeowners’ associations to determine the pricing of lots based on the Urban Housing Act, which provides for affordable socialized housing rates.

He criticized the administration of outgoing Governor Gwendolyn Garcia for the use of zonal valuation, which had priced some lots at P51,000 to P70,000 per square meter.

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

READ:

He was referring to the low number of beneficiaries who managed to meet the stringent Pag-IBIG loan requirements and pricing under Garcia’s policy.

Under the new approach, Archival said the city government will ensure that lot pricing is accessible to low-income beneficiaries and aligned with their ability to pay.

“Ug 6,000 per square atong hatag nila, unsaon nila pagbayad?” he said.

“At the same time, if imong i-apply sa Pag-IBIG, dili man gyud na madali accept sa Pag-IBIG because of requirements. I think dili gyud na mahitabo,” he added.

(At the same time, if you apply in the Pag-ibig, it cannot be quickly accepted at the Pag-ibig because of the requirements.)

He also reiterated that no demolitions would be carried out in the affected areas during his term.

“We can assure them nga (that) there’s no demolition anang lugara (in that area),” Archival added.

The renewed cooperation between City Hall and the Capitol, both now led by newly elected local chief executives, signals a potential thawing in political tensions that have long hampered the 93-1 resolution.

The 93-1 case dates back to a 1993 memorandum of agreement that aimed to transfer provincial lots in Cebu City to long-time occupants.

It remained unresolved for decades due to political friction between the Capitol and City Hall.

A major breakthrough came in 2018, when then-Mayor Tomas Osmeña and then-Governor Hilario Davide III signed a land swap deal.

Under this agreement, the city would receive ownership of the 93-1 lots in exchange for city-owned properties that the province needed for its operations.

However, its implementation stalled after Garcia reassumed the governorship in 2019 and opposed the deal.

Baricuatro, who defeated Garcia in a stunning electoral upset earlier this month, has since expressed willingness to revisit and honor the 2018 agreement.