THE committee report of a proposed resolution of the Sangguniang Panlungsod authorizing Mayor Belen Fernandez to apply for retention and select the five-hectare retention area of some 29-hectare property bought by Dagupan City in Awai, San Jacinto in 2002 has been approved by the legislative body, but not in the manner requested by the mayor’s office.

City Secretary Ryan Ravanzo said that members of the committee on housing, land use and utilization headed by Councilor Alfie Fernandez wants to conduct an ocular inspection of the property in Barangay Awai before it adopts a resolution required by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) .

The resolution mandates an ocular inspection of the property in Barangay Awai by members of the SP committee, along with representatives of the City Mayor’s Office and the City Engineering Office.

City Legal Officer Aurora Valle earlier advised the SP about DAR’s condition that the city government was given only 30 days starting last month to submit its application applying  for retention and to select the five-hectare retention area within the 29-hectare land bought for P16 million by the Dagupan City government during the term of then Mayor Benjamin Lim.

If Dagupan fails to select the five-hectare contiguous retention area after the deadline, the DAR will do it for Dagupan, said Valle.

Two weeks ago, Valle was told to ask the DAR to extend the deadline for Dagupan to exercise its right as owner of the land covered by CARP to select the five-hectare retention area.

However, the ocular inspection cannot be done by members of the committee this week since all the city councilors will attend a week-long seminar in Baguio City sponsored by the Philippine Councilors League. (Leonardo Micua)

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