City Council authorizes Garcia to negotiate with CPA

CEBU CITY (May 22, 2024) – Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin N. Garcia plans to iron out a possible deal with the Cebu Port Authority (CPA) to jointly manage the Compaña Maritima and two other structures at the Aduana area.

Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin N. Garcia | 📷 RMN / cte

Garcia’s announcement came after the City Council gave him authority to negotiate with the CPA to allow the city to use the Pusô Village without prejudice to pending court cases.

“If we can only come up with a compromise, nga ang ownership (issues) dili nato istoryahon, ibilin na sa korte, sila na’y decide. But why not we jointly develop those projects?” Garcia said in Kumusta Ka’Sugbo over RMN Sugboanon Channel this afternoon.

More than a year before his suspension, Mayor Mike Rama locked horns with the CPA over the ownership of the Compaña Maritima.

The CPA asserted its claim on the Compaña Maritima when the City’s joint venture partner, Megawide Construction Corp, began construction of the Pusô Village and the mechanized parking spaces adjacent to the century-old structure.

CPA‘s Francisco “Kit” Comendador. | CPA Facebook page

The Pusô Village and mechanized parking spaces are both part of the Carbon Market Redevelopment Project.

The CPA secured a preliminary injunction from the Regional Trial Court that prevented the City from using the two structures.

Garcia told Kumusta Ka’Sugbo anchor Vilma Andales that he hopes to convince CPA to partner with the City to manage and develop all three structures.

The acting mayor said he had initial talks with CPA general manager Francisco “Kit” Comendador III on the matter and he was happy that the latter was receptive of his idea.

“Sayon kaayo siya ka-istorya. Though he said that he cannot act by himself and needs to bring this matter to the (CPA) Board while I also need to confer with the City Council, at least, ang pagkita ug pag-istorya, naa na,” he added.

Pusô Village. Concept shows how the food and events site would look, if it had operated.

Income-generators

Garcia said he plans to work with the CPA to clean and fix the Compaña Maritima then develop it into a tourist attraction.

“Kaning dinhi sa Maritima, heritage (structure) man ni. Can you imagine kung imung nang panindoton, limpyohan, butangan na nimo og coffee shops overlooking the bridge, (ig-human) magkape-kape ka? Pagka-nindot no?” the acting mayor exclaimed.

He also hopes that CPA would allow them to re-operate the Pusô Village in order to attract more business activity at the Aduana area.

“Kung imung ma-develop o’ ma-ablihan ang Poso Village, can you imagine how much employment you can generate, how many small business nga maka-benepisyo?” he added.

Mechanized parking spaces. / 📷 Megawide

Garcia said a possible deal with the CPA would allow the use of the mechanized parking spaces and solve City Hall’s parking problem.

He believes that his diplomatic approach in handling City Hall’s current problems could make a difference.

“So ato ni pwede ma-maximize kung mag-istoryaa’y ta, kung magsinabtanay ta,” he added.

If we can only come up with a compromise, nga ang ownership (issues) dili nato istoryahon, ibilin na sa korte, sila na’y decide. But why not we jointly develop those projects?

Acting Mayor Raymond Alvin N. Garcia

Negotiate

Just as Garcia made known of his plan, the City Council also gave him the green light to negotiate with the CPA.

In today’s regular session, City Councilor Joel Garganera noted in a privilege speech that the non-operation of Pusô Village has resulted in a significant loss of revenue of the city’s joint-venture with Megaworld Construction Corp.

The JV created the special purpose company, Cebu2World Development Inc., the developer and operator of the Carbon Market Redevelopment Project that includes Pusô Village and the mechanized parking area.

City Councilor Joel Garganera
| 📷 PIO / Ruel Rosello

Garganera emphasized that the idle state of the Pusô Village has led to a loss of revenue, employment, and the revitalization of the downtown area.

He highlighted that if the Pusô Village had been operating, it would have catered to 334 retail spaces and 138 spaces for food and beverage.

He said the mechanical parking spaces, capable of servicing 150 vehicles, could also alleviate the limited parking space at City Hall and nearby establishments.

“It would have been a perfect place to end a heritage tour while visiting the Fort San Pedro and other nearby heritage sites,” he added.

Garganera also emphasized that the differences between CPA and the City Government can be resolved through open negotiations and keeping communication open.

Additionally, Garganera hopes that the City and CPA can reach an agreement to better serve the public.

He stressed the importance of government institutions working together to serve the public and achieve more through less hostility towards each other.

“Government institutions may have differences but they are bound to serve the public. We achieve more if we can be less hostile to each other,” he added. | RMN / jkv with PIO / mec

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