Sixty years after the city expropriated key parcels of land, the Ormoc City government moved to take over and clear the area in Barangay Cogon on April 8, 2026, marking the culmination of a long legal process and paving the way for a planned civic center.
The local government carried out the operation as part of its vision to modernize local and national government offices and expand public service facilities under Mayor Lucy Torres-Gomez.
City officials said the lots were expropriated in 1965 through an eminent domain case.
The government deposited initial payment to landowners in 1971 and, following a modification by the Court of Appeals, completed full payment of just compensation in August 1982.
In the same month, authorities directed the city sheriff to implement the court decision.
The LGU said it has already secured funding for the civic center, which forms part of a masterplan to upgrade and expand government services for city residents.
The additional space will accommodate offices from both local and national agencies to make services more accessible to the public.
Authorities implemented the takeover in accordance with Republic Act No. 7279, following a process that began on October 18, 2024.
The city issued notices to vacate to occupants, conducted dialogues with affected informal settler families, and coordinated with agencies including the Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Commission on Human Rights, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Philippine National Police, and National Housing Authority.
The LGU also carried out the required demolition procedures, including issuing three notices of demolition, holding a pre-demolition conference, and re-issuing a demolition compliance certificate.
The operation affected 81 households. Of this number, 64 families received relocation assistance, including free temporary relocation sites and cash aid equivalent to two months’ minimum wage.
The city government said these families are prioritized for free house-and-lot units once available, as it continues to implement housing projects.
Some residents refused to cooperate and claimed ownership of the land based on their titles.
The city government said these titles contain encumbrances related to the expropriation case in favor of the LGU.
Legal disputes over the property have persisted for decades.
In 1999, a family filed a complaint to stop the construction of the Ormoc City Medical Society building, but the Regional Trial Court denied it.
The case was elevated to the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court in 2009, but both courts rejected the petition and upheld the finality of the 1979 expropriation.
A separate case filed in 2014 to remove the encumbrance was denied by the Regional Trial Court in 2016 and by the Court of Appeals in 2023, and it remains pending before the Supreme Court.
The city government said it will proceed with the civic center project as part of its long-term urban development plan to improve and expand access to government services
Comments