BAGUIO CITY September 08 – The City Council is now trying to work out an arrangement in order for the local government to waive its claim for damages against embattled landownersaffected by the city-owned Asin mini-hydropower plants to release the accumulated rentals of their properties amounting to over P2.7 million the soonest.
The members of the Committees on Laws and Public Utilities, Traffic and Transport Legislation made this commitment to the affected landowners during a committee hearing Wednesday.
Earlier, members of the previous council questioned the landowners after a different group appeared before them seeking the waiving of the damage claims in the case where a different group entered into a compromise agreement with the city as part of an amicable settlement of the case.
Several landowners expressed their disappointment over the failure of the local government to release to them the accumulated rentals of their properties when the Asin mini-hydropower plants were operational from 2007 to 2012, saying that the city should settle its obligation with them and cease from operating the plants.
Councilor Peter Fianza explained the reason the accumulated rentals cannot be released to the affected land owners is the absence of the waiver from the local legislative body on the claim of damages by the city which has been pending for several years now.
If the City Council will not waive the over P2.095 million claim for damages from the city over the P2.7 million accumulated rentals of the landowners, then the group will only get over P600,000 from the computed rentals but if the local legislative body will waive the claim for damages, then the landowners will receive the full amount.
The claim for damages by the local government arose from the landowners’ actions diverting the flow of water of the Asin River that caused the stoppage of the operations of the city-owned power plants for some time.
Fianza explained the P2.7 million represents accumulated lease rentals of the city for portions of the landowners’ properties but this has not been released because of the existing claim for damages filed by the city.
Under the compromise agreement between the city and the landowners, the group of landowners will seek the waiver of the claim for damages by the city with the City Council so they can fully collect the accumulated lease rentals.**By Dexter A. See
