Cebu City wants ‘Compania Maritima’ back

CEBU CITY – Mayor Michael Rama vowed to defend the local government’s claim over the historical landmark Compania Maritima which he said should be placed under the management and control of the City rather than the Cebu Port Authority (CPA).

The CPA recently repossessed the property following an order by the Regional Trial Court Branch 10 which granted its petition for the issuance of a writ of preliminary injunction to prohibit the Cebu City government from occupying any portion of the Compaña Maritima area.

It also deployed security guards at the area to watch the historical building against vandals and illegal dwellers. Apart from guards, the CPA also assigned an attendant to collect parking fees.

The CPA, created through the enactment of RA 7621 which was signed on June 26, 1992, has the mandate of administering all ports located in Cebu province, separating them from the Philippine Ports Authority system. The CPA began operations and officially took over all Cebu ports on Jan. 1, 1996.

Rama said he has already given instructions to his lawyers that would help them in their legal battle against the CPA. “They are (doing it) in bad faith for repossessing Compania Maritima. How can they say the area is the subject of their future port operations expansion? We cannot see maritime activities in the area. We cannot see vessels docking in the area,” Rama said in Cebuano.

He even recalled that during the term of then-mayor Tomas Osmeña, and he as the vice mayor, they painted the entire Compania Maritima building and utilized it on several occasions as a “Devotee City” for the Sinulog.

Before the local government took control of the area, it was home to illegal settlers and was an eyesore in the vicinity.

“After we cleaned the area, here came the CPA claiming ownership even without exercising dominion over it,” Rama said.

He reminded the port authorities of Republic Act (RA) 7160 or the Local Government Code that devolved the MOMAC or the Management, Operations, Maintenance, Administration, and Control of heritage sites and tourist spots, such as the Compania Maritima and the Plaza Independencia.

The Compania Maritima Building is a neoclassical heritage building that was built in 1910. It was known as the Fernando Building and later Shamrock Hotel before World War II.

Rama claimed that Compania Maritima has been part of the city government’s waterfront development program and the Carbon Pubic Market modernization effort that would spur the tourism economy. (John Rey Saavedra)