After almost 10 years of litigation, the Cruz Telephone Company has agreed to negotiate for a settlement with the Oriental Negros government on the ejectment case filed by the province against the company.

In a letter to the province last month, Cruztelco area manager Renato Azanza said the company had signified its intention to negotiate for the payment of the land and to pay the back rentals.

Its proposal is to pay the province the sum of P6,043,712.50 for the real property including the back rentals thereon, from 1985 to the present.

The provincial government, however, is pushing for a higher amount though it is still studying the proposal, provincial legal officer Erwin Vergara said, adding that the province will be offering a counter proposal in consultation with the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.

Vergara said the province based its computation on the fair market value of the land, while Cruztelco insisted on the zonal value per regulations of the Bureau of Internal Revenue.

The court battle involves a 1,800-square meter lot owned by the province which it donated to the Bureau of Telecommunications.

Unknown to the provincial government, BUTEL sold the rights to Cruztelco, records indicated. This prompted the province to file an ejectment case against Cruztelco.*JG

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