The Lizares family has filed a case for the recovery of a portion of the old Bacolod airport, but is willing to enter into a joint venture with the city government for the development of the area, Bacolod Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez said on Thursday, July 13.
They are claiming a section of the old airport owned by the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP), Benitez said.
The Lizares family is saying that the government expropriated that section for the airport, but since it is no longer being used for that purpose the property should revert back to them as the original owners, Benitez said.
“We have agreed with the representatives of the Lizares family that when they recover a portion of the CAAP property, they will make it part of city government’s planned development for the area,” he said.
Benitez earlier asked CAAP to turn over the airport property that it owns to the city government so that it can be developed.
There are two CAAP titled lots that cover about half of the old airport. One of the CAAP titles covers the area being claimed by the Lizares family, Secretary to the Mayor Karol Joseph Chiu said.
The other half of the airport property is owned by SM Prime Holdings Inc. that the city government also plans to partner with for the development of the area.
Meanwhile, Benitez said the city government’s construction of an access road at the old airport to decongest traffic will continue.
It is for public necessity so it any one objects we will expropriate the area needed for the road, Benitez said.
The access road area is not part of the Lizares claim, he said.*