Itogon Residents Oppose PMA Housing Site Claim

BY KIM QUITASOL
Northern Dispatch
Posted by Bulatlat

LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET — Residents and local government unit (LGU) officials of Itogon, Benguet have opposed the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) Housing Cooperative's request for the proclamation of a portion of a forest reservation in the province as a PMA housing site. 

The Housing Cooperative requested the Land Management Section (LMS) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Cordillera Administrative Region (DENR-CAR) for the segregation and proclamation of a 30-ha. area from a public forest in Gumatdang and Ucab villages in Itogon as PMA housing site.

Affected residents and land claimants of Gumatdang and Ucab contested the cooperative's request saying that there are existing land claims on the said area.

Eunice Palome, a land claimant from Ucab, said there are existing tax declarations and title applications on the area. She said her clan earlier filed for the issuance of a Certificate of Ancestral Land Title (CALT) at the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP) for a portion of the contested area.

“Kumontra kami a ta addan ti aggigyan idiay ken adu ti maapektaran a pamilya nu matuloy a maited iti PMA diay daga. Ken addan ti trinabaho ti tattao idiay kas kuma dagiti uma” (We are against the proclamation because the area is already occupied and many families would be affected should the land be awarded to PMA. There are also improvements in the area like the swidden farms),  Palome stressed as she welcomed the resolutions of the Itogon municipal council and the Benguet provincial board favoring their petition.

In a resolution, Itogon municipal officials criticized the LMS-DENR-CAR officials who “hastily approved the segregation and draft of the proclamation.” The said resolution also mentioned that the proclamation for the PMA housing site is ready to be signed by the President.

“The said Office (LMS-DENR-CAR) is selective in processing documents relative to titling of lands,” the resolution further read.

Itogon officials also criticized LMS-DENR-CAR for allegedly giving priority to PMA’s request when earlier claimants who applied for titling were not accommodated since the land area being applied for is classified as forest reservations.

Benguet provincial officials also adopted the Itogon LGU stand in a separate resolution.

Meanwhile, last week Col. Hernando Iriberri said PMA is not officially involved in the housing cooperative. However, he admitted that some of the members of the said housing cooperative are either employees or officers of PMA. Northern Dispatch / Posted by Bulatlat  

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