‘BILLION PESO’ RACKET UNDER PROBE

Prominent families included in the list

If the list compiled by the former parks administrator of Tondaligan Park is to be believed, the city’s shoreline is already owned not by the city but some of the city’s prominent families.

At least 170 persons and entities were identified to have been issued by corrupt officials and personnel of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources with certificates of alienability and disposability over portions of the 80-hectare accreted lands and possibly including Tondaligan Park.

With these certificates, issued for still undetermined amount of money, the holders of the same were able to obtain their respective Tax Declarations from the City Assessor’s Office after paying nominal fees.

The holders of tax declarations were named in the list attached to the complaint of Juanito F. Lagao, provincial chairman of the Partiudo Demokratiko Sosyalista ng Pilipinas, before the Office of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes.

Lagao, a former administrator of Tondaligan Park, sent two letter-complaints to Reyes’ office, the first of which was on July 13, 2006 regarding the “deteriorating billion of pesos worth of proclaimed parks and playground in the city of Dagupan”, and on September 15, 2006 regarding the Dagupan City government’s claims over the 80 hectares of accreted lands.

The names include some of the big businessmen in Dagupan, including a number of who are members of the Filipino-Chinese business community.

In his first letter, Lagao stated that the condition of the proclaimed park is at its worst, causing a progressive deterioration of the prime government property estimated to a billion peso worth.

As Tondaligan Park administrator, Lagao noted the “rampant illegal squatting wherein drugs and sex dens were housed and illegal fencing of lots and construction of concrete structures.”

While he called for demolition of the illegal structures he also appealed to the DENR or the city government to sue all those responsible in the illegal selling of lots and for the DENR to issue a memorandum to CENRO and the city assessor’s office to cease from issuing certificates of alienability and disposability as well as real property declarations.

In his September 15, 2006 letter to Secretary Reyes, Lagao posed some questions in the face of reports that the city government has applied for miscellaneous lease agreement with DENR over the 80 hectare accreted land.

He asked why the city government would not re-survey the entire proclaimed area, including the vast tract of accreted lands and integrate them with the Tondaligan Park, when the city government is the administrator of the park?

“Does it hinder the city government from pursuing its plans for an eco-tourism industrial park even without claiming the 80 hectares of accreted land when the city government itself is the administrator of the proclaimed park?,” he asked

Further, he asked “If the city government’s claim over the 80 hectares accreted land is granted, what will happen to the reserved park? Will it remain a haven for illegal settlers and continue to deteriorate?”

Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez, who earlier said the city council is also investigating the matter, revealed that they have documents coming from the DENR which showed the latter already cancelled 38 certificates of alienability and disposability.

However, Fernandez said that based on the certificates of alienability and disposability issued by the DENR, the city government already issued 98 tax declarations.

He said that the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office issues certificates of alienability and disposability for conversion into agricultural lands only and not for any other purposes such as being used for beach fronts and other purposes.

Based on information he had gathered, the regional office of the DENR can issue certificates of alienability and disposability covering only 1,000 square meters

Documents obtained by the PUNCH showed that there were claims by private individuals for as big as 12,000 square meters or more and that the claimants appear to be related to each other.

Undersecretary Manuel Gerochi took note of both letters of Lagao and went on to direct the DENR regional office to investigate the matter.

The following is a partial list of supposed land claimants:

Owner Tax Doc. # Location Total area (In Sq.meters)

Maria Cirilo Jose / G. Escano 4070127 Binloc 292

Jessie Abrejal to

Mario Torio Abrejal 4070128 Binloc 744

Rodolfo de Vera to

Jasmin de Vera 4070129 Binloc 241

Juno Jugo to

Flordelina E. Jugo 4070130 Binloc 717

Rufo Capito 4070131 Binloc 347

Honrado P. Hugo to

Julita Jugo 4070132 Binloc 343

Urbano Movida to

Lolita Movida 4070133 Binloc 774

Nena Maason to

Jun Maason 4070134 Binloc 267

Maria Carmelo G. Escano to

Gemma Claveria Escano 4070135 Binloc 814

Joel Diolazo 4070136 Binloc 1,215

Ma. Felcomina G. Escano 4070137 Binloc 300

Blesilda Torio 4070138 Binloc 559

Paulino Magsanoc 4070139 Binloc 2,208

Juanito Torio to

Brenda Torio 4070143 Binloc 12,843

Felixberto Narvasa 4070144 Binloc 300

Dominic Ferrer 4070145 Binloc 702

Jaime de Vera 4070146 Binloc 117

Jolly Quirol to

Miriam Quirol 4070147 Binloc 260

Blesilda Torio 4070148 Binloc 1,124

Mario Sandoval to

Edelminda Sandoval 4070149 Binloc 1,122

Sofronio L. Maramba 4070150 Binloc 505

Ernesto F. de Vera to

Dory de Vera 4070151 Binloc 388

Dominik Ferrer 4070152 Binloc 2,958

Ma. Manuel Hugo/ G. Escaño 4070153 Binloc 300

Jimmy Chua 4070154 Binloc 3,971

Gregoria G. Escano 4070155 Binloc 388

Felife Ferrer 4070156 Binloc 2,175

Paulino Mayao 4070157 Binloc 6,724

Samuel Palacio 4070158 Binloc 9,164

Jimmy Baliola 4070159 Binloc 7,494

Angel Carrera to

Wilia Carrera 4070160 Binloc 431

John Paul Carr to

Mardynn F. Carr 4070161 Binloc 435

Myrna Lopez, widow 4070162 Binloc 1,068

Lamberto to Olivia Villanueva 4070164 Binloc 600

Sps. Teofilo & Magdalene Quirol 4070165 Binloc 1,241

(TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK)

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