Baraan issued waivers to claimants in Bonuan
DAGUPAN BEACHLAND SCAM
Based on waivers issued to claimants of foreshore land in Bonuan Binloc, officials of the past city administration may have had a hand or worse abetted squatting in the site.
Copies of a waiver from the city hall indicated that the waiver was used ostensibly to enable claimants to secure power connection to the illegally constructed buildings.
City Engineer Virginia Rosario cited the case of the 1,000-square meter lot being claimed by Calasiao Mayor Roy Macanlalay whose electrical connection by the Dagupan Electric Corporation was guaranteed by a waiver from city hall.
“I don’t know who authorized Mayor Macanlalay to stake his claim in the foreshore land but the electrical connection given him was made possible by a waiver that contained the name of Mayor (Benjamin) Lim, but it was then City Administrator (Rafael) Baraan who signed it for and in behalf of the mayor,” she said.
Macanlalay, reacting to the PUNCH report naming him as one of the claimants, admitted that the property at Bonuan Binloc pinpointed to be owned by him is his but he said it is outside the boundaries designated under Proclamation No. 98 which created the then National Parks and Playground in Bonuan.
Rosario, head of the Task Force on Housing and Urban Poor Resettlement, inspected the lot being claimed by Macanlalay last January 10 when the task force went to the area to install a billboard warning and informing the public that no lot there is for sale.
She said her staff had given Macanlalay several notices of violations when he was still constructing his concrete fence but he ignored these notices and proceeded with the construction.
“Sabi ni Mayor Macanlalay, it’s outside Proclamation No. 98, which means that the lot he is claiming is within the accretion area on whose Tax Declarations were all ordered cancelled by Mayor Fernandez,” said Rosario.
Rosario said she has in her possessions six waivers surrendered by DECORP signed by officials of the previous administration which in effect directed the company to provide electrical connections to the structures even if they had not secured any building permits.
It was learned that DECORP is still keeping some more waivers issued by officials of the past city administration.
Rosario said these waivers are no longer valid after Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. ordered their cancellation at the recommendation of the task force in order to strengthen the campaign of the city government against squatting on government lands.
The PUNCH sought an audience with Macanlalay for further clarification but he sent a text promising to give his side on the issue next week.
Among those Rosario identified the other prominent personalities claiming lands in Bonuan Binloc shoreline include Regional Trial Court Judge Roberto Rudio, lawyer Juan Siapno, a certain Dr. Gubatan of Region 1 Medical Center. He also said there are more lawyers involved but he did not identify them.
Councilor Alfredo Quinto said he is not the councilor being alluded to as among the land claimants but admitted he has applied for an accreted land at the bank of the Mangiranday River in Bonuan Binloc which is not among those placed under question by the city government.
Rosario was accompanied by Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez, Councilors Farah Decano, Dada Reyna, Alfie Fernandez, Lino Fernandez and Quinto during the site inspection last Friday.
There, Rosario noted that despite her order, construction workers continued to work on a structure inside the property being claimed by Mario Sandoval, just in front of Macanlalay’s claimed area.
Rosario said Judge Rudio is also constructing what looked like a vacation resort on a property adjacent to the area being claimed by Siapno.
According to Rosario, the judge indicated he would not resist if the city government wants to stop his construction and will do it after he has talked to Mayor Fernandez.
When asked by PUNCH if Mayor Fernandez is also claiming portions of the beach land in Bonuan, Rosario said “of course not”.
Rosario invited all those claiming lands in Bonuan Binloc shoreline to attend the next meeting of the Task Force on February 8 at the conference room of city hall and to bring land titles that will prove their ownership of the land on where they erected their structures.—LM
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