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La Trinidad to clear Puguis

Johanna O. Bajenting and Rona T. Fernandez

LA TRINIDAD officials are bent to implement the law in its bid to get rid of the squatters in Puguis Communal Forest.

Councilor Henry Kipas, who chairs the committee on natural resources and environmental protection, said the town is doing its best to stop the continued squatting inside the communal forests and hopes to put behind bars all personalities involved in the illegal activities.

Kipas in a proposed resolution authorized La Trinidad Mayor Romeo Salda to use the full force of the law in order to urgently apprehend and stop the several and continues illegal activities within the forest.

The town official said they will soon name identities of those behind the squatting who have violated existing local and national laws and disregard legal procedures and processes by continuously introducing illegal activities like violation of the zoning ordinance, violation of national building code, excavation activities, construction of structures and placement of monuments, cutting of trees, fencing portions and parcel of the communal forest, installation of new gates and light generators, installation of signage with wrong information, construction of septic tank, destroying and removal of the old government installed gate.

"We have approved and passed several laws to protect the Puguis Communal Forest," Kipas said.

"We respect their right, but they should respect the appropriate process. They filed appropriate cases in court so we should wait for the decision,” Kipas added.

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