Bill authorizing UP to sell land in Brgy. Krus Na Ligas gets Senate nod

A bill authorizing the University of the Philippines (UP) to sell a portion of its land to the Quezon City local government has been approved on third and final reading in the Senate.

Senate Bill No. 2234 was approved with 19 affirmative votes, no negative vote and zero abstention.

The bill authorizes UP to sell a parcel of its land in Barangay Krus Na Ligas to the local government of Quezon City not exceeding 22,467 hectares at a fair market price that is acceptable to the University.

The bill was authored by Senate Pro-Tempore Ralph Recto, Senate President Vicente Sotto III and Senator Chiz Escudero, chairman of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture.

Under the bill, the authorization shall automatically be revoked if the University and the Quezon City local government would fail to agree on the terms and conditions of the sale within one year from the effectivity of the act or when full payment would not be received by the University within one year after the execution of the agreement.

Upon transfer of ownership of the parcels of land in Barangay Krus Na Ligas from the UP to the Quezon City local government, the latter shall immediately fence off the property of the University to segregate it from the area being sold.

The Quezon City local government shall create a technical working group to identify the legitimate residents of Barangay Krus Na Ligas, who shall be qualified buyers of the parcels of land in Barangay Krus Na Ligas.

The technical working group shall also assist the University, at the expense of the Quezon City local government, to resettle all other settlers found in the remaining property of the University that is adjacent to the parcels of land in Barangay Krus Na Ligas.