This story
was taken from Bulatlat, the Philippines's alternative weekly
newsmagazine (www.bulatlat.com, www.bulatlat.net, www.bulatlat.org).
Vol. VII, No. 1, Feb. 4-10, 2007
Itogon Folk, Benguet
Officials Hit DENR for Aiding PMA Land Claim
Affected residents in Itogon and Benguet local officials have criticized the
Land Management Services of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(LMS-DENR)-Cordillera for approving the survey plan of a housing cooperative
involving some officials and employees of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA)
over a portion of land in Itogon despite overlapping land claims over the area. BY
KIM QUITASOL LA TRINIDAD, Benguet –
Affected residents in Itogon and Benguet local officials have criticized the
Land Management Services of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources
(LMS-DENR)-Cordillera for approving the survey plan of a housing cooperative
involving some officials and employees of the Philippine Military Academy (PMA)
over a portion of land in Itogon despite overlapping land claims over the area. The Headquarters Support
Group (HSG)-PMA Housing Cooperative applied for the reclassification of a
30-hectare land between Barangay Gumatdang and Ucab, Itogon, but was met with
opposition from affected residents and municipal officials. Clarita Ampagey-Bumidang, a
resident who has been applying for the titling of her land since 1975, said the
LMS-DENR denied her applications on grounds that the area was classified as a
forest reserve. She added that she has a tax declaration on the land dating
decades ago. “When we were applying for
titling, LMS-DENR simply cancelled our applications saying that we can not apply
for titling in the area because it is part of a forest reservation,” Bumidang
said in Ilocano. “They (LMS-DENR officials) did not tell us that we should apply
for reclassification first.” Lucy Ampagey, also an
affected claimant, questioned the procedures of the LMS-DENR, saying it was
unfair. She said the office could have at least consulted the land claimants
before approving the housing cooperative's survey plan. Lulu Gimenez of the Alyansa
dagiti Pesante iti Taeng Kordilyera (Apit Tako or Alliance of Peasants in the
Cordillera)-Benguet also questioned the hasty facilitation of the PMA housing
cooperative’s application despite the DENR’s knowledge of the overlapping claims
and proclamations over the contested area. She added that aside from the forest
reservation and mineral land proclamation the whole of Itogon is also a
watershed reservation for the San Roque dam, downstream in the
Benguet-Pangasinan border. “If DENR follows the
National Integrated Protected Area System (NIPAS), being the agency tasked to
implement land laws, it should have not entertained PMA’s (housing cooperative)
application in the first place,” Gimenez explained. Gimenez further said that
under the Indigenous Peoples’ Rights Act (IPRA) the DENR should have conducted
consultations with affected indigenous peoples whether or not the area is
already awarded a certificate of ancestral land title (CALT) or certificate of
certificate of ancestral domain title (CADT). “The IPRA does not say that IPs
need to secure CALTs or CADTs before their rights over their land be
recognized,” she stressed. Itogon Councilor Michael
Tauli said the PMA housing cooperative's survey plan covers portions of Sitio
(sub-village) Tupdac, Peday and Karayan Kanog,
all of Barangay (village) Ucab and Sitio Bisil
in Brgy. Gumatdang. He added that there are around 20 affected families
in the contested area. Tauli agreed with Gimenez
that the said parcel of land is also covered by several proclamations that
include forest reserve and mineral lands aside from overlapping land claims that
include several mining claims. He said LMS-DENR should be aware of the status of
the said area because it is assisting the municipal task force created to
resolve land tenure problems in Itogon. Revocation of survey
plan Board Member Aloysius Kato
filed a resolution asking LMS-DENR to revoke the survey plan of the PMA housing
cooperative. Kato stressed that the
approval of the PMA housing cooperative's survey plan reveals the
inconsistencies of the LMS-DENR. “Why did they (LMS-DENR) not give the residents
the same assistance they gave the HSG-PMA housing cooperative?” he stressed. Board Member Juan Nazaro
filed a related resolution condemning the alleged use of uniformed PMA officers
during the plotting of monuments for the survey plan in the area. Regional Surveys Division-DENR
chief Benjamin Ventura admitted that the HSG-PMA housing cooperative survey plan
was approved on Oct. 10, 2006 despite discovering the overlapping claims earlier
on Sept. 7, 2006. Ventura said they were just
following proper procedures. He said the approval of the survey plan is the
first step towards reclassification. Helma Aboy,
officer-in-charge of the Reservation and Land Grant Section-LMS said they
stopped processing the housing cooperative's application after receiving the
Itogon municipal council resolution endorsing the opposition of affected
residents. She assured the affected residents and Benguet officials that
LMS-DENR would not continue processing the HSG-PMA application until all isuues
are resolved. Capt. Alex Resinto, a board
member of the HSG-PMA, housing cooperative said that the cooperative is a
separate entity from the country's premier military school. Northern Dispatch
/ Posted by Bulatlat © 2007 Bulatlat
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Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat