CEBU CITY – The city government of Ormoc is set to build a modern civic center, an ambitious project 60 years in the making.

Ormoc, under the leadership of Mayor Lucy Torres Gomez, has a masterplan to complete the city's civic center aimed at upgrading and expanding government services for Ormocanons. Funding has been secured for the project.

The plan to construct the facility traces back to 1965 when the city initiated land expropriation as part of its vision to modernize local and national government offices, as well as public service facilities.

As part of the land expropriation through an eminent domain case, initial payment made to landowners was deposited in 1971 and after a modification by the Court of Appeals, full payment of just compensation was made in August 1982.

The city sheriff was directed to implement the court decision.

The takeover implemented on April 8, 2026 was the culmination of a legal process in accordance with Republic Act No 7279 which began on Oct. 18, 2024. The procedure included the issuance of notices to vacate to citizens that were still occupying lands that are under the ownership of the city government since 1965.

Additionally, the process included a dialogue with affected informal settler families (ISFs) and coordination with national agencies.

The local government observed the legal demolition process which included the issuance of three notices of demolition, a pre-demolition conference, re-issuance of demolition compliance certificate, and relocation assistance to affected families.

To help ease the transition of ISF families, the city provided cash assistance equivalent to two months' minimum wage, on top of a free temporary relocation site.

Of the 81 affected households, 64 have received relocation assistance. These families were prioritized for free house and lot from the city government, to be awarded as soon as units are available. The local government unit is active in implementing various housing projects.

However, there are still some ISFs that refuse to cooperate with the local government, claiming that they have land titles to the lots that their families have occupied for decades.

The city maintained that titles contain encumbrances of the eminent domain or expropriation case in favor of the city government.

In 1999, the Parilla family filed a complaint to stop the city government from constructing the Ormoc City Medical Society building and the Regional Trial Court denied the complaint.

In 2009, the Parillas elevated the complaint to the Court of Appeals (CA) and the Supreme Court (SC), but was denied in both instances. The High Court affirmed the finality of the expropriation in 1979.

Another case was filed in 2014 to remove such encumbrance but was denied at the RTC in 2016 and denied by the CA in 2023. This case is still pending before the SC.