Yasar’s illegal pen first to go — Belen
MAYOR Belen Fernandez has finally given the marching order to the Dagupan City Agriculture Office to demolish the more than 10,000- square meter illegal fish pen located in the middle of the Calmay River owned by a former barangay chairman.
During an executive meeting called by Fernandez last week, City Administrator Farah Decano promptly directed City Agriculture Officer Emma Molina to schedule the demolition of the fish pen owned by Lilia Yasar, former chairman of Barangay Pantal.
Under the procedures adopted by Task Force Bantay Ilog, owners of illegal fish pens are given notice before demolition.
The fish pen of Yasar, along with some 60 others, were earlier spared from demolition claiming that their pens were located inside private properties as evidenced by their titles and the tax declarations issued them by the city assessor.
They claim that their pens are located in fish ponds that have since been eroded by the river.
These tax declarations certificates are now being validated by the city government in coordination with the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO).
In the case of Yasar, she earlier made it appear that her fish pen is a fishery project for high value species and applied for an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMB).
But EMB denied the application when Yasar failed to submit a certification from CENRO that the area she was applying an ECC for is not part of a river.
EMB Regional Director Joel Salvador then issued a cease and desist order on Yasar’s fish pen last year.
CLAIMING THE RIVER
Yasar supposedly bought the property, which is within a river, from Robert Gonzales who reportedly claims to own a more than 33,000-square meter area within the Calmay River that is covered by a Tax Declaration Certificate issued by City Assessor Allan Zarate.
Zarate has since been ordered transferred by the mayor to the newly formed Task Force on Material Recovery Facility.
City Legal Officer George Mejia is investigating other tax declaration certificates issued by the Assessors Office covering parts of rivers which are reportedly now being used by the holders in obtaining land titles.
Fernandez earlier decried that it is only in Dagupan, under the previous city administration, that parts of rivers are being claimed as properties of private parties.
Rolando Soni, acting city assessor, said all the other questioned tax declaration certificates discovered were reportedly issued by Zarate’s predecessors.
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