THE Barangay Banago Council in Bacolod City is opposing the proposed plan of a private company to reclaim 150 hectares of land in the village.
Barangay Chief Ricky Mijares said Monday, February 27, that they did not receive a letter from the company of Jerry Sy that proposed to reclaim 150 hectares of land along Puroks Makawiwili and Nami-Nami of Barangay Banago.
He said thousands of residents of Barangay Banago will be affected by the proposed project.
Mijares, along with other barangay officials and hundreds of residents of the village, attended the public hearing at the Sangguniang Panlungsod (SP) Session Hall Monday after Sy, Margrey Sy, and Ian Dominique Sy requested the SP issue a Resolution of No Objection (RONO) for the proposed reclamation plan in Barangay Banago.
The public hearing was led by Councilor Claudio Puentevella, chairperson of the SP committee on environment.
Aside from Puroks Makawiwili and Nami-Nami of Barangay Banago, Mijares said the proposed project will also affect some residents of Barangays 1 and 2.
He said Sy’s team failed to present its project proposal to the barangay.
"Our residents and the Barangay Council are opposing this project because most of us will lose our livelihood," he added.
Mijares noted that he only found out about the proposed reclamation project when the SP informed him about the public hearing.
Moreover, Puentevella said the company of Sy failed to send their representative during the public hearing.
"We want to hear everybody here, and let’s give them due process because we cannot act on it immediately," he said.
He added that they want to hear the side of the proponent of the proposed reclamation project.
The councilor noted that Sy’s team also informed them that they couldn’t attend the public hearing due to some reasons, but it was too late to cancel the hearing.
Puentevella said they will hold another public hearing in the presence of Sy’s company.
Aside from the 150-hectare proposed reclamation project in Barangay Banago, Puentevella said other business groups also submitted their proposed reclamation projects in the areas of Barangays 1, 2, and Banago.
Puentevella disclosed that the issuance of RONO is one of the requirements for the reclamation project.*