MABALACAT CITY --- Officials of Barangay Cristo Rey in Capas town, Tarlac province have filed a civil case in court against a top official of Clark International Airport Corporation (CIAC) for allegedly occupying illegally a building inside the O'Donnell resettlement.
Cristo Rey Chairman Rolando De Leon and Councilman Benjamin Pabustan filed Recovery of Possession case before the Regional Trial Court (RTC) branch 66 in Capas, Tarlac on April 17, 2015 against Reynaldo Catacutan, CIAC vice president for operations.
The barangay leaders claimed that Catacutan, a former mayor of Capas, has been "unlawfully occupying a morgue building since 2002."
Despite their pleas, De Leon and Pabustan stated in their complaint that Catacutan refused to vacate the property, which was already turned over to the barangay by the Municipal Government.
In his letter to Catacutan dated May 2, 2015, Capas Mayor Antonio Rodriguez said the building will form part of a community hospital, which is now being constructed inside the resettlement center.
Rodriguez cited a Deed of Transfer and Acceptance (Dota) forged between the Municipal Government and the National Housing Authority NHA on January 6, 2014.
Rodriguez claimed that Catacutan has no right to occupy the building sans a lease contract with the local government unit.
In the same letter, the mayor warned Catacutan to vacate the building to give way for the construction of the medical center, which is expected to serve residents of Barangays Aranguren, Santa Lucia, Patling, Santa Juliana, Bueno and Maruglu.
For his part, Catacutan said the NHA and the Pinatubo Project Management Office (PPMO) under the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) allowed him to occupy and utilize the morgue building.
Catacutan cited a letter sent to him by PPMO site manager Romeo Garcia on January 15, 2002.
Garcia stated, "May I respectfully inform you that your proposal to develop the morgue is considered deemed approved subject to the existing revised estate management policy and hereby submitted further for evaluation and review by the resettlement administrator."
A letter issued by NHA Tarlac head Rodrigo Corral on September 24, 2010 stating that records show that there is an approval to lease in favor of Catacutan.