SP orders DENR to cancel Bonuan CADs
THE Dagupan Sangguniang Panlunsod, in a bid to fast-track the investigation and resolution of the suspected massive land-grabbing inside the Tondaligan Park, passed a resolution on Monday requesting the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to complete the cancellation of all certificates of alienability and disposability (CADs) it issued to different individuals and entities covering parts of the accreted land in Bonuan.
The resolution was addressed to the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro), Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (Cenro) and DENR regional office even as the investigation on alleged massive land grabbing in Bonuan is still being pursued by the same upon the order of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Angelo Reyes.
Vice Mayor Alvin Fernandez earlier said only 33or 38 certificates out of the more than 100 corresponding Tax Declaration Certificates (TDCs) that were issued by the Dagupan City Assessor’s Office have so far been cancelled by the DENR.
Fernandez clarified that those who obtained CADs from the DENR went to secure their respective TDCs from the City Assessor’s Office. Curiously, the TDCs already indicated areas being claimed.
In the series of listing published by the PUNCH in the past three issues, among those listed as claimants were names of city hall officials and known friends of Mayor Benjamin Lim appeared.
Earlier, the vice mayor clarified that TDCs are not proofs of ownership of lands but only proof of payment of taxes which will not be honored by the DENR anyway.
He said if all the CADs that were issued by DENR were cancelled, it would strengthen the city’s applications for Miscellaneous Lease Agreement covering more than 32 hectares of accreted land in Bonuan.
The city’s application for MLA was already approved by Cenro, Penro and DENR regional office and is now pending in the office of Secretary Reyes.
Those who obtained the CADS used these to secure TDCs from the Assessors Office, which they are now using to claim portions of the accreted land with corresponding measurements.
It was believed that money changed hands in these transactions between corrupt DENR employees, including possibly some in the city government.
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