Republic Act No. 7621, also known as the “Charter of the Cebu Port Authority”, gave the agency autonomy in its areas of jurisdiction which include “all seas, lakes, rivers and all other navigable inland waterways within the Province of Cebu, including waterways within the Province of Cebu, including the City of Cebu and all other highly urbanized cities.”
This autonomy means that the CPA need not secure a permit from the Cebu City Office of the Building Official (OBO) in order to proceed with its construction of reinforced concrete deck in its Baseport near the Malacañang sa Sugbo area to provide additional berthing spaces and cargo back-up area.
On April 1, April Fool’s Day, however, personnel of the Cebu City Hall particularly from OBO, Prevention Restoration Order Beautification and Enhancement (PROBE), and Cebu City Legal Office forcibly entered the CPA Baseport premises to serve a cease-and-desist order issued for lack of OBO permit, despite the fact that the CPA is outside City Hall jurisdiction.
CPA general manager Francisco Comendador III, in a press briefing at the Capitol on Monday, April 8, said charges will be filed against City Hall officials and employees for what happened, the last of a long list of City Hall intrusion into CPA affairs.
“We fully support Cebu Port Authority’s position on this matter that the City Mayor’s Office, through its activities on April Fool’s Day of 2024, was acting like fool outside its jurisdiction,” said Atty. Rory Jon Sepulveda, a legal consultant of the Capitol.