OWNERS of illegal shanties at a tree nursery in the Busol watershed made good on their promise to tear down the structures themselves.
The Baguio government gave the shanty owners 10 days to demolish their homes.
Engr. Israel Galvez of the city buildings and architecture office said the occupants were complying as of last Thursday.
The 10 -day reprieve ended last Sunday.
The illegal settlers were squatting in the area set aside as a tree nursery and field office of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Baguio Regreening Movement and the city environment and parks management office.
Apart from the nursery site, demolition notices will be issued to the owners of the small and large structures in the other parts of the watershed, Mayor Mauricio Domogan said.
The watershed supplies a third of the city’s water needs.
In a 2009 decision, Supreme Court denied the issuance of titles for lands in the Busol reservation, ruling that “forest lands are inalienable and possession thereof, no matter how long, cannot convert the same into private property… and the courts are without jurisdiction to adjudicate lands within the forest zone.” Aileen Refuerzo