Sunvar says it will vacate Mile Long property

Prieto-Rufino-led property firm Sunvar Realty Development Corp. on Wednesday said it will vacate the controversial Mile Long property following an order from a Makati Court.

"In accordance with that commitment, Sunvar will comply and vacate Mile Long," the company said in an emailed statement.

Judge Maryann Corpus Mañalac of the Makati City Regional Trial Court Branch 141 issued the notice to vacate against Sunvar and its tenants following the resolution issued by the Court of Appeals (CA) Former Fifth Division on Monday in favor of the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG).

Sunvar and its tenants have three days from receipt of the notice to vacate the 2.9-hectare property, after which the Makati court will place the government in "actual and physical possession" of the property to satisfy the writ of execution.

"The Notice, issued by the RTC Makati 141 (RTC 141), was made pursuant to a Resolution promulgated by the Court of Appeals on August 14 directing, among others, RTC 141 to enforce the 2015 Decision of the Metropolitan Trial Court of Makati Branch 61 (MeTC Decision) ordering Sunvar to vacate Mile Long and pay back rentals," the company said.

Sunvar said that while it has appealed the MeTC Decision, it is committed to abiding by the legal process.

"Sunvar understands that the government has taken an opposite view. Sunvar continues to have faith in the law and legal process," it said.

The company reiterated that it leased the Mile Long property—an undeveloped land of the government some 35 years ago—upon the understanding, reflected in contracts annotated in the title of the land—that the lease period would expire in 2027.

It said that it has paid P16.8 million as advance rentals, and expended millions more to build roads, buildings, and infrastructure to develop the property which is why it is so valuable now.

"Relying on the same contract and understanding, small business owners and taxpayers purchased condominium units in Mile Long that are now the source of their livelihood," Sunvar said.

Sunvar emphasized that it entered into a legitimate commercial transaction with the government.

"It has pursued legal remedies to resist ejectment firmly believing there is a binding contractual commitment on the part of the government to honor a lease that is set to expire only in 2027," the company said. — RSJ/KVD, GMA News