BAGUIO CITY – True to its promise of delivering timely public service to Baguio residents in need, the Liberal Party A-1 Team has brought to the attention of Department of transportation and Communications (DOTC) Sec. Joseph Abaya the request of two informal settler groups during his visit to the city last March 9.
The groups represented residents in Loakan Proper barangay and Marcoville who are seeking separate segregation of lots they are currently occupying but which the government through the DOTC owns.
According to Councilor Leandro Yangot Jr., the Loakan Proper group is seeking the segregation of a parcel of land which the Civil Aeronautics Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) claims that the subject lot is part of the runway of the Loakan airport. However, the Housing and Urban Development Coordinating Council (HUDCC) has determined that the claim deserves further evaluation.
During a site verification, the Pre-Proclamation Committee of the HUDCC, it was discovered that the “area subject of the request for segregation is not actually within the runway strip width.”
The committee further found out that there is a three meter wide river that separates the runway and the subject areas.
In the Marcoville petition, Yangot is requesting the assistance of Abaya in order to have a 4,770 square meter lot at the old Philippine National Railways (PNR) depot could be segregated in favor of the actual occupants of the area.
“The PNR has expressed its intention to dispose its non-core properties which are mostly occupied by informal settlers at zonal value,” Yangot said. He added that the long time residents of the questioned lot are willing to purchase the area from the government so they can legally acquire and own the lots.
Upon hearing the requests, Sec. Abaya said he will look into both requests as soon as he gets back to his office in Manila to the delight of the representatives of the two groups.
Baguio Rep. Nicasio M. Aliping Jr., meanwhile, said that the way the requests were brought to the attention of the DOTC secretary shows the unity of the Liberal Party A-1 Team of Baguio in acting on requests of Baguio residents.
“We are very much concerned about the welfare of our constituents and as a party we took the initiative to bring the attention of these two concerns to Sec. Abaya when he came to Baguio for party matters,” Rep. Aliping said.
The LP A-1 Team is composed of Rep. Aliping, as the Baguio party chairman, Councilors Isabelo Cosalan, Joel Alangsab and Yangot, and Joseph Cabato, Engr. Jun Orca, businessman Rudy Paraan, lawyer Ron Perez, architect MylenYaranon, and Arthur Allad-iw.
The A-1 Team has vowed to bring this kind of governance to the city./Carl C. Taawan
