BAGUIO CITY– Residents whose lands were affected by the city-owned mini-hydroelectric plants in Tadiangan and Nangalisan barangays will soon receive their compensation from the city government.
Mayor Mauricio Domogan met with the claimants last Friday asked the residents to straighten out and finalize the list of qualified beneficiaries to facilitate the release of the long delayed payment.
The group headed by Florida De Vera promised to finish the list in two weeks.
The compensation was based on the compromise agreement approved by the court in 2010.
As per computation of the city accountant Antonio Tabin, the amount totaled P2.7 million from 2007 to October 2012 when the city operations ceased.
The amount has long been set aside by the city government but the release was put on hold as there was the need to comply with a provision in the agreement for the lot owners to first settle the case filed by the city government for the disruption of the water supply to the facilities by securing a waiver of claims for damages from the city council.
It took years for the city government to convince the Commission on Audit to allow the city council to issue the waiver of claims and early this year, the city council approved a resolution relinquishing the city’s claims for damages amounting to P2.09 million.
As per the agreement, the city will compensate the landowners by way of rentals amounting to three percent of the net surplus from the operation of the mini-hydro plants subject to conditions that the rentals will be retroactive to year 2007 when the city assumed management of the plant and that the rentals will be subject to increase after three years. **Aileen P. Refuerzo
