NEGROS Occidental Vice Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said the Provincial Board is not yet ready to tackle the proposed industrial zone in Hinobaan town.
Lacson, along with the board members, met with some organizations including the Green Alert Network and Save Hinobaan Movement Wednesday morning at the Provincial Capitol to tackle the proposed reclassification of some parcels of land, from agricultural to industrial, acquired by the Provincial Government for the project.
The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in the province is claiming said property was actually covered by the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (Carp).
Lacson said they assured the group that the Provincial Board is “not yet ready to take action on the ordinance” passed by the Municipal Government.
“We also assured them we will continue to dialogue with the residents,” the vice governor said, adding that he will call another meeting to meet the affected residents.
“The group we met (on Wednesday) are organizations. They are not necessarily from Hinobaan. They relayed to us the grievances of the residents who are affected by this project,” he said.
Lacson said the groups want the site to “remain in status quo,” meaning there should be no development in the area.
“They suggested maintaining the site as tourism and farming area,” he said.
Lacson said the Provincial Board wants “to take extra time before taking action on the ordinance,” although he understands that Governor Alfredo Marañon Jr. and the Municipal Government led by Mayor Ernesto Estrao are pushing for the realization of the project.
The Provincial Government had expropriated the property of the defunct Insular Lumber Company (Ilco) to make way for the construction of the Japanese shipbuilding facility.
The DAR pointed out that the tax declaration of the former landowner was agricultural land.
Jimwell Cañeto of Save Hinobaan Movement asked the local government of Hinobaan to respect the residents and holders of certificates of land ownership.
He said they are asking the Provincial Board to disapprove the ordinance passed by the Municipal Council.
Instead of converting the land into industrial, they should support fishing since pushing for the project is a threat to the livelihood, life and environment, Cañeto pointed out.