THE Dagupan City government is now inclined to proceed with the demolition of all illegal structures that were built in the beach area following a meeting on Friday that clarified the issues surrounding the anomalous sale of beach land in Bonuan Binloc.

The meeting was attended by members of the Task Force on Housing and Urban Poor Resettlement, representatives of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office and barangay officials.

Lawyer Juan Siapno, chairman of the Bonuan Binloc Coastal Neighborhood Association, Inc. representing claimants to the beach land, who earlier requested for a meeting with the task force did not show up.

Only former Councilor Rodolfo Fernandez, the former vice chairman of the same task force during the time of former Mayor Benjamin Lim, showed up and claimed to be a member of the association. He, however, denied presently occupying any portion of the beach land.

“I am an applicant (of public land). My application is still being processed,” Fernandez told the task force headed by City Engineer Virginia Rosario.

In that meeting, CENRO Officer Romeo Nalupa confirmed that since he assumed office in July 2006, he has not issued any certificate of alienability and disposability over parcels of land in Bonuan Binloc.

The certification was only about the status of the land, he said.

He added that he does not know, however, if his predecessor issued any.

He clarified that his certification did not give any individual vested rights to construct structures in the area.

“We are talking here about a certification and not free-patent applications. These two are different,” he maintained.

At the same time, he pointed out that issuance of free patents is not within his office’s authority, adding that “the squatters have no right to construct their structures pending action of their application.”

He said CENRO normally issues certifications after the submission of the requirement by applicants.

Nalupa said CENRO issues the certification on the status of the land without reference to the occupation of any part of the public land.

Since the certification is not an authority to construct, Nalupa said the city government has all the right to demolish all the illegal structures erected by claimants.

For an illegal structure to be spared from demolition, City Legal Officer George Mejia and City Planning and Development Coordinator Romeo Rosario said the owners of the structures will have to prove their ownership of the beach land by presenting their titles.—LM

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