By CESAR JOLITO III

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the provincial government is prepared to purchase a new property for the Central Philippines State University (CPSU)–Moises Padilla Campus amid issues with the current site’s ownership documents.

Lacson confirmed yesterday that they have allocated funds for the property acquisition.

He acknowledged that finding an alternative site would also present challenges, particularly the delay in constructing school facilities.

“Even if we have the funds, it would inevitably cause delays,” Lacson said.

The governor emphasized that CPSU must now directly coordinate with the property owner and seek guidance from the concerned government agencies to resolve the matter.

Meanwhile, the Capitol will leave the decision to the CPSU management regarding the land occupied by the school following the stalled acquisition of the property.

Earlier, Lacson said the negotiations with the Nazareno family, the property landowner, were halted due to what he described as a lack of cooperation in fixing deficiencies in the land title.

“We are ready to pay the owner. This means we have the funds to purchase the property,” Lacson said.

Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz II said the province failed to push through with the planned P25-million purchase of more than two hectares previously covered by a usufruct agreement, citing incomplete legal documents from the landowners.

“We cannot force a matter when legality is at stake,” Diaz stressed.

The issue raised concern within the Capitol after fears that students might lose access to the CPSU campus.

However, Diaz assured that the province’s role is only to assist the school and its students, since CPSU is a state university funded by the national government./CJ, WDJ