The Court of Appeals 20th Division in Cebu City has issued a 60-day temporary restraining order enjoining the Negros Occidental provincial government from proceeding with the sale and lease of its 7.7-hectare prime property in Bacolod City, after SM Prime Holdings Inc. put up a P50 million bond.

The TRO was issued by the CA Wednesday in response to a petition filed by SMPHI that insists  it won the July 7 public bidding for the property the provincial government awarded to AyalaLand.

In a three-page petition, the CA said the request for TRO was granted to “preserve the rights of the parties during the pendency of the instant petition as well as to prevent the judgment that may be promulgated in this case from being rendered ineffectual.”

Four business groups yesterday issued a joint statement congratulating and supporting the Negros Occidental provincial government headed by Gov. Alfredo Marañon Jr. for deciding to sell and lease the Capitol’s 7.7-hectare property in Bacolod City.

The provincial government last week announced the awarding of the sale and lease of the property to AyalaLand, but the Court of Appeals Wednesday issued a Temporary Restraining Order on the deal following a petition filed by SM Prime Holdings Inc.   

The business groups’ support came a day after the Bacolod Sangguniang Panlungsod also passed a resolution expressing appreciation and support for the Negros Occidental provincial government’s development plan, which it said, will ultimately boost the city’s business, economic, tourism, technological and historical landscape.

Negros Occidental Vice Governor Genaro Alvarez Jr. yesterday denied benefiting from Small Town Lottery operations when he was congressman, and will seek a National Bureau of Investigation probe to get to the bottom of the allegation.

Alvarez was reacting to a report in a national newspaper that said 54 congressmen, including five from Negros Occidental,   allegedly benefited from STL operations from 2007 to 2010.

Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office director Aleta Tolentino was quoted by The Philippine Star as saying that STL operators directly remitted to the congressmen their share of the STL sales representing net proceeds from the areas where they operate.