The city legislators, during their regular session last Monday, once again probed the claims of an urban poor organization over an 18.49-hectare land located within the city government’s property covering Sto.Tomas-Apugan, Sto. Tomas Proper, and Camp 7.
Members of the Everlasting Pinegold Community Association, Inc. (EPCAI) have resettled in the area following the pre-proclamation of the 18.49-hectare land in favor of the association with the approval of 11 agencies.
EPCAI President Maria Leonora Jordan stated that the association had gone through a stringent process to ensure that its members were qualified as beneficiaries of the social housing.
Dolores Balagat, representative of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Cordillera Administrative Region (DENR-CAR,) said the 18.49-hectare land within the 158-hectare city government property was identified for low-cost housing.
The said land was surveyed as Special Work Order (SWO)-CAR-000967 in the name of the city government and was identified as a social housing site for the EPCAI upon the request of then Mayor Mauricio Domogan. The survey plan was approved by the DENR-CAR.
Balagat explained that the DENR does not favor entities when declaring lands as alienable and disposable pursuant to the Public Land Act and that it was the city government under the administration of Domogan that identified the 18.49 hectare to be used by the EPCAI as a relocation site.
Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan, however, questioned the move of the DENR to approve the survey plan without verifying whether the former chief executive was given authority by the city council to grant the land to the EPCAI.
“The 158 hectares is reserved for city land use needs. You cannot simply award that land to one association. In the city, land disposition is only either through Townsite Sales Application or Miscellaneous Sales Application,” Olowan said.
“There are people who do not have a lot in the city, and yet you (DENR-CAR) allowed that 18.49-hectare land to be given to an association. And that is contradictory to the law,” he added.
Councilor Benny Bomogao emphasized that decisions of the city government involving land disposition need the confirmation or approval of the city council through a resolution or an ordinance.
Jordan asserted that the EPCAI should not be placed at a disadvantage as they had gone through all the necessary procedures to legitimize their claims over the land and that they had already introduced many developments in the area.
The association has been involved in several land disputes with other land claimants in the area for many years.
In May 2020, Sto. Tomas Community Neighborhood Association sought the help of the city council for the cancellation of SWO-CAR-000976 on the grounds that the EPCAI had allegedly encroached into their property.
The appeal of the neighborhood association was referred to the city council’s Committee on Urban Planning, Lands, and Housing chaired by Councilor Fred Bagbagen and has yet to be acted on by the committee.
The request for the cancellation of SWO-CAR-000976 was brought up during the council’s regular session on September 14, 2020.
Engr. Benjamin A. Ventura, DENR Representative, said SWO-CAR-000976 can be cancelled upon the request of the city government citing the reasons for its cancellation.
Balagat said that the 18.49-hectare land will remain in the name of the city government even if SWO-CAR-000976 gets cancelled since it is part of the 158-hectare land identified for the city’s multi-land use.
The city council referred the matter again to the Committee on Urban Planning, Lands, and Housing to be studied further in aid of legislation. **Jordan G. Habbiling