MORE NEWS, MOUNTAIN PROVINCE

PPOC pushes cancellation of individual titles within Mt. Data National ParK
By Andrew Dogaong

BONTOC, Mountain Province - The Provincial Peace and Order Council is set to pass a resolution requesting the Secretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to cancel individual land titles issued within the Mt. Data National Park and the Mt. Data Plateau which are not declared as alienable and disposable lands.

This, after municipal officials of Tadian reported to the PPOC that there are
individuals wrecking havoc on the Dacudac watershed that supplies water to the six Sunnyside barangays of Tadian namely Cagubatan, Dacudac, Bana-ao, Cadad-anan, Pandayan and Am-am.

The town officials said these individuals are claiming that they own the lands as evidenced by their land titles and also tax declarations issued to them.

Tadian vice-mayor Febe Sally and some of the Sangguniang Bayan members said the on-going illegal kaingin and expansion of gardens within their watershed would lead to the contamination of the water supply of the Sunnyside barangays due to the excessive use of pesticides and would also eventually dry-up of their water source.

Last month, the Cordillera Regional Development Council urged the DENR to cancel all land titles issued within watersheds and forest reservations in the region.

DENR Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office Peter Osbucan said their office is in the process of determining the areas within the Mt. Data National Park and the Mt. Data Plateau that were issued land titles.

On the motion of Sally, the PPOC will also ask DENR Secretary Lito Atienza to deputize Philippine National Police personnel assigned in Mountain Province and also the military under the Task Force Montanosa to help put a stop to the destructive activities within the Dacudac watershed.

Gov. Maximo Dalog, also the chairman of the PPOC, tasked provincial attorney Einstein Calaoa to coordinate with provincial assessor Nicholas Kimakim to study the possibility of canceling the tax declarations issued within the watershed areas.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan was also asked to enact local measures to protect the water sources from further degradation.

Dalog said he will also issue an executive order to the Local Assessors to stop processing tax declarations within watershed areas.