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Wednesday, November 26, 2003
Housing chief backs off from Lanton land deal
THE City Housing and Land Management Office (CHLMO) finally ceased from participating in the transaction involving FLGLA 542 and 552 at Sitio Lanton, Barangay Apopong.
In a letter to Chief Inspector Nasser Pendatun, city housing chief Ramon Brotarlo said he had no choice except to follow the cease and desist order of Mayor Pedro Acharon Jr. who warned him of the consequences of his actions.
Last November 14, Acharon ordered Brotarlo to desist from collecting payments to the 35-hectare land in Lanton from members of the Homeless Peoples Federation of the Philippines (HPFP).
Pendatun, one of the many groups of claimants to the disputed 923-hectare former Alacantara ranch, earlier sold portion of his claimed area to HPFP.
The mayor cited that the transaction is illegal since it violated provisions of the Indigenous People's Rights Act (IPRA).
The whole area was earlier declared ancestral domain by the Supreme Court, but under the IPRA law, sale of ancestral lands is strictly prohibited.
While the city housing office only facilitated payments to the lot, legal experts warned Brotarlo that he could be charged for technical malversation for using his office in "illegal transaction".
"We have no option but to follow, albeit I hold different view," said Brotarlo in his letter top Pendatun.
Brotarlo, however, advised Pendatun to speed up his claim to the property.
"Please perfect the ownership of your clan over the land particularly on the impediments poised by the IPRA law," he added.
Brotarlo believed that a clearance from the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) and the consent of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on the 35-hectare relocation project is needed to make the sale valid.
Pending the completion of all requirements, Brotarlo fears the project would be temporarily freezed. MFV
(November 26, 2003 issue)
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