BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan underscored the need for the local government and the State-owned Government Service Insurance Corporation (GSIS) to do a joint survey on the metes and bounds of the city-owned Baguio Convention Center property to ascertain the exact area purchased from the insurance corporation.
The local chief executive pointed out what was purchased by the local government from the GSIS was the convention center itself and one hectare outside the building footprint that includes the parking areas on both sides of the facility.
However, it was brought to the attention of the City Mayor that GSIS employees had been interfering in the affairs of the local government over the use of the parking space on the left side of the convention center which supposedly belongs to the city.
Domogan explained the one hectare purchased by the local government is still included in two of the tittles of GSIS in the area that is why the city was not yet able to perfect the transfer of the title to the local government because of the alleged problem on the titles of GSIS over their property in the area.
“We have to conduct a joint survey to identify the areas where the one hectare property of the city will be positioned. We continue to work closely with the GSIS for the settlement of the issue so that the city can also perfect its title over the purchased property,” Domogan stressed.
He explained the ultimate solution to the problem after the conduct of the joint survey is to consolidate the two titles of GSIS over their property and then segregate the city’s one hectare purchased lot so that it will put an end to the issue on the areas owned by the GSIS and the local government.
According to him, the local government has fully paid the GSIS the purchase price of the Baguio Convention Center and the one hectare lot outside the building footprint that is why it is incumbent upon the local government to process the transfer of the appropriate titles to the city the soonest but the problem on the location of the purchased area cropped up which should be settled by both parties.
Domogan asserted that he will communicate with GSIS for the immediate conduct of the joint survey to prevent further confusions on which of the areas around the convention facility are owned by the local government and which areas still remain as property of the State insurance corporation.
He asserted it is best for the local government to perfect its ownership over the property that it purchased to prevent it from being forgotten in the future that could result to complications when other city officials will be leading the city in the future, thus, the need for both parties to cooperate for the immediate resolution of the pressing concern.
By Dexter A. See