The court has ordered the estate of Luis Balili, Amparo Balili and lawyer Romeo Balili to return to the Province of Cebu P37.81 million, the amount Capitol paid for the submerged and mangroves areas of their property in the City of Naga that the former administration purchased.
Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Raphael Yrastorza Sr. said:
“Whether or not plaintiff knew of the submerged areas, the law would not allow the other party to take advantage of the ignorance of the party affected.”
Halfway through the Fire Prevention Month in March, three fires were reported in Cebu City yesterday. One was in South Road Properties (SRP), another in Barangay Guadalupe and the third in Barangay Sambag I.
Here are the top stories for today, March 12, 2015:
‘Simple justice’
Regional Trial Court (RTC) Judge Raphael Yrastorza Sr. ordered the estate of Luis Balili, Amparo Balili and lawyer Romeo Balili to return P37.8 million to the Cebu Provincial Government. This is the amount Capitol paid nearly seven years ago for a property in the City of Naga, which turned out to be submerged (80,124 sq. m.) and covered by mangroves (14,402 sq. m.).
In his 16-page decision dated Feb. 16, 2015, RTC Branch 14 Judge Raphael Yrastorza Sr. wrote:
“It is only simple justice, therefore, that the defendants should return what plaintiffs claimed; otherwise, it would be an injustice to allow defendants to be unjustly enriching themselves at the expense of the plaintiff (Cebu Province) for the value of the submerged area of 80,124 square meters on Lot SP-07-01-000048, and the mangrove area of 14,402 square meters on Lot SP-07-01000062, a total of 94,562 square meters, at P400 per square meter.”
“In the case at bar, defendants who received the benefits are not entitled to it and there is no legal right to receive it, considering that the areas supposedly sold to plaintiffs are inalienable and indisposable parts of public domain.”
Atty. Balili said he will file a motion asking the court to reconsider its decision.
Speaking for Rep. Gwendolyn Garcia, lawyer Christina Frasco said that the decision confirms that former governor now Congresswoman Gwendolyn Garcia should not be held liable for relying on the titles of the properties when the Province acquired these.
- Sun.Star Cebu: Capitol to get P37.8M refund
- Cebu Daily News: ‘Pay Capitol P37.8 million’
- The Freeman: Court orders Balili heirs: Return P37.8M
3 fires reported in Cebu City in 1 day
A grass fire was reported at 1:12 p.m. near the San Pedro Calungsod Shrine in SRP. The fire was put out at 1:46 p.m.
Another grass fire broke out in a subdivision in Barangay Guadalupe eight minutes later. Residents doused the fire before Cebu City firetrucks arrived.
At 2:24 p.m., another fire was reported in Barangay Sambag I, which began inside a room of a two-storey boarding house owned by Virginia Ngosiok. The blaze was controlled after 11 minutes.
- Sun.Star Cebu: Fiery afternoon
- The Freeman: 3 fires in Cebu City in one day
Other top Cebu News stories:
Sun.Star Cebu: LTFRB brushes off cab drivers’ objections
Cebu Daily News: Cabrera: Don’t let remaining trees die, plant more
The Freeman: 2 cities share traffic burden in new scheme
Cebu Daily News: Cab driver denies poking knife; passengers
The Freeman: Complaint filed vs hospital staff over ‘malpractice’
The Freeman: Mayor, et al face raps over abattoir deal
Sun.Star Cebu: Filinvest turns over 633 units for social housing
Cebu Business headlines:
The Freeman: Bancnet, Megalink to merge this year
Sun.Star Cebu: Smart takes home 18 Quill awards
The Freeman: Cebu Bionic Builder introduces power-efficient products
Sun.Star Cebu: Entrepreneur Slater Young unveils building tech
The Freeman: Paramount Property Ventures Inc. allocates P.5B for more projects in Cebu
