BAGUIO CITY – The City Government recently earmarked some P3.5 million to bankroll the fencing of the city-owned property within Gibratar barangay to prevent further encroachments in the said government property.
City General Services Officer Romeo D. Concio said the survey of the metes and bounds of the property was already completed and will be submitted to the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) for the preparation of the detailed plans and specifications for the fencing project.
At the same time, concerned city hall offices will conduct the required joint investigation relative to the existence of informal settlers that built their structures within the government property in order to guide authorities on future actions to take to spare the property from being squatted upon.
Part of the activities that will be undertaken by the City General Services Office, in coordination with the CBAO, will be the putting up of monuments within the government property which will serve as the guide for those who will prepare the plans and specifications of the fencing project in ascertaining the proper boundaries of the property.
It can be recalled that City Legal Officer Melchor Carlos Rabanes urged concerned offices of the local government to take the appropriate steps in preventing the encroachments being made by informal settlers into the government property which is considered within the prime area considering that it is adjacent the Wright Park, one of the major tourist destinations in the city.
Concio admitted the need for the local government to be aggressive in protecting the government properties, especially the lands, to prevent the assets from being squatted upon by informal settlers who want to gain at the expense of the city.
According to him, one of the problems encountered by the office in the completion of the survey is the absence of a permanent surveyor assigned to perform the said task which should have been completed earlier but he is still optimistic that the local government will be able to immediately fence the property the soonest.
The detailed plans and specifications for the fencing project will be forwarded to the Bids and Awards Committee (BAC) that shall subject the project to public bidding in order to determine the complying and responsive bidder that will be in charge to implement the fencing project.
Concio appealed to the supposed informal settlers to cooperate with the local government in the implementation of the fencing project so that the government property will be spared from the proliferation of informal settlers that might result to further complications in the future once they opt to fight it out with the city once it decides to pursue the project.
The project will be pursued by the city in coordination with the concerned agencies to save the remaining government properties from being invaded by squatters./By Dexter A. See