Braganza wants investigation to continue
BARAAN CLEARS ALAMINOS
ALAMINOS CITY–Mayor Hernani Braganza has breathed a sigh of relief as he believes the city government has been finally vindicated over the issue of alleged illegal fishponds in the Hundred Islands National Park (HINP).
Braganza, who just arrived last week from an international conference in Mexico, said the statement of Provincial Administrator Rafael Baraan during a press conference in Lingayen on November 11 clearly puts the culpability to the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR), the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) over the presence of fishponds in the HINP.
The mayor said Baraan in effect cleared the city government by admitting that the fishponds were already there many years before Alaminos City took over the HINP’s management.
“This means, therefore, that we have nothing to do with allowing those structures (fishponds) to be constructed in the Hundred Islands,” said Braganza who from the beginning stressed they welcomed any investigation by the provincial government.
“Before Mr. Baraan’s statement, I had already emphasized that as long as DARAB (DAR Adjudication Board) does not declare the structures illegal, the city government or any concerned government agency could not demolish the fishponds because they are covered by titles and are therefore private properties,” Braganza added.
During the November 11 press conference, Baraan lambasted the three concerned agencies for granting a contract of lease on November 3, 1980 and certificate of land ownership in 1993 to the Bolo Development Cooperative (Bolodeco), which put up the fish pen structures in the HINP area.
Alaminos City took over the management of the HINP from the PTA by virtue of Executive Order No. 436 issued in October 2005 by then President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo.
Baraan also criticized the DARAB for its failure to quickly solve the case filed before it over the segregation of over 46 hectares of the Hundred Islands applied for and eventually awarded to Bolodeco.
Share your Comments or Reactions
Powered by Facebook Comments
