SOLICITOR-General Jose C. Calida on Friday, July 28, called anew on Sunvar Realty Development Corp. to vacate the Mile-Long property along Amorsolo Street in Makati City, accusing the firm of squatting on government property and owing the government P1.66 billion, exclusive of legal interest — assertions which the company disputed also on Friday.

In a statement and in a news conference on Friday, Mr. Calida claimed the Rufino-Prieto-owned real-estate firm continued to illegally occupy the government-owned commercial property without due payment to the government.

“Sunvar occupied the Mile-Long property on February 28, 1982. The lease agreement expired on December 31, 2002. Sunvar continued to occupy the property despite the expiration of the lease,” said a statement by the Office of the Solicitor-General (OSG), which also quoted Mr. Calida as saying:

“Since 2003 or for the last 14 years and 7 months, you have been squatting, illegally using and occupying the Mile-Long Property. Despite notices, Sunvar continued to remain in possession and collect millions of rentals from its tenants.”

“When you speak against the government of President (Rodrigo R.) Duterte, it’s like you are immaculately clean. You have used your newspaper Philippine Daily Inquirer to shield your shenanigans,” Mr. Calida also said, referring to the broadsheet that the Prietos disclosed this month they are leaving, following an agreement with businessman Ramon S. Ang for the latter to take over the publication and the Inquirer Group of Companies.

In a fact sheet sent to the media on Friday, Sunvar disputed Mr. Calida’s allegations as well as his chronology of the Mile Long lease.

The company said it had entered into a P16.8-million sub-lease agreement with the government and renewed that lease in 2002 for another 25 years. “Sunvar likewise tendered payment of rentals for the extended period,” the company said.

Despite this, the National Power Corp. (Napocor), which originally leased the property to the the Technology Resource Center Foundation, Inc. (since dissolved and its functions assumed by the Philippine Development Alternatives Foundation [PDAF]), “informed PDAF of the non-renewal of the sub-lease….Sunvar responded that Napocor and the government must honor the lease agreement contract,” the fact sheet said.

It added: “The occupants on the government-owned 125,000 sq. m. property [including the Mile Long area] include not only Sunvar but also Ecology Village residents; Makati police headquarters, fire station and post office; Don Bosco parking lot; and informal settlers. As of this writing, the government has only publicly stated wanting to eject the occupant that advanced a P16.8 million lease with a contract until December 2027.”

Sought for comment, Sunvar’s lawyer Alma Mallonga said in part, “Based on a reading of the contracted condition,…Sunvar did its part….It has good faith…that the contract…be respected up until 2027.”

“I want to believe that the government is doing this on good intention,” she also said, adding: “but the opinion of the government cannot trump the opinion of Sunvar.”

OSG last month filed a Very Urgent Ex Parte Motion for Execution before the Court of Appeals, which ruled this month in the government’s behalf over the Mile Long case.

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