GOOD NEWS! The country’s Summer Capital represented by its local government unit and other national government agencies have earned its rightful claim over two of Baguio's parks, one of its oldest hotel, and a part of the reservation of the presidential mansion.
Based on an October 8,2014 en banc resolution, the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples nullified the validity of certificates of ancestral land titles more commonly known as CALT 's in the areas mentioned, following the discovery by government auditors that such documents were missing, which prompted the commission to declare it lost.
The en banc resolution signed by NCIP Chairperson Leonor Oralde--Quintayo and six other commissioners including one of Baguio's daughter former, NCIP Chair Zenaida Hamada-Pawid was based on their confirmation that such CALT's are not in the ancestral domain office resulting to it being lost.
And since it was declared lost, the authentication process of such ancestral land titles granted to indigenous Filipinos have lost its validity meaning, no basis.
Based on the description of the NCIP resolution, such documents bought from the country’s Central Bank with the corresponding serial numbers used as certificates of ancestral land and domain titles or CALT's and CADT's are considered as accountable documents.
Due to its disappearance, the ancestral domain office was directed by the resolution to investigate the reasons for the documents non-existence, and to provide the commission recommendations if other Baguio CALT's face a review of its validity.
Baguio City Mayor Mauricio Domogan in his weekly Ugnayan or media briefing asserted the very knowledge of every resident in the city of the situation of the lands being claimed and then resold without permission from the commission to non-IP's as invalid, since these lands are being administered by the local and national offices of government, aside from the fact that these land areas are found within parks, reservation areas, and historical sites.
The claim by those who bought such lands from family members known as heirs could not be considered as "Buyers in Good Faith" since every resident in the city knows where the parks, reservation areas and historical sites are to be found.
Due to these events, government projects such as PTV 4 or the state owned television network that erected its regional network station for the north in a part of the reservation of the presidential mansion have undergone a delay in its project, resulting to the disruption of its regional operations.
Parts of Wright Park popular to horseback riding tourists have initially been subdivided despite it clearly specified as a park.
And Casa Vallejo's future existence being threatened due to claims even if it was declared as a heritage site.
Boy oh boy! It's a good thing the commission made some decision for if it was not for that, believe you me, blood will surely color the solemn grounds of the city.
Tit-for-tat! Those who wanted to claim lands from legitimate owners then prior to the existence of the commission can easily be heard as saying in Ilocano as "Bagi yu ti papil, bagi me daga"( You own the papers but we own the lands ).
I wonder how these lot selling claimants now feel if government and the majority of the people say "BAGI YU TI PAPIL, BAGI ME MET TI DAGA"!!!