Double standard justice /An ancestral land tiff

BULLS’ HIT
Rudy Garcia

BAGUIO CITY -- A source recently called my attention regarding the operation of Casa Vallejo Hotel just below SM. Baguio. Accordingly, this hotel which is controversial because of its rumored sale and transfer to a private entity is now in full business operation without any business permit.

If this is indeed true, then I wonder how this hotel operates with impunity unlike that small establishment beside it that is reportedly the subject of harassment by some city officials.

The source told this writer that the operator of this small store beside Casa Vallejo could not renew her business permit because city officials accordingly could not issue the same because it is located within the road right of way, which it is a lot of bullshit.

How can these city officials say it is within the road right of way when Casa Vallejo is also similarly in the same situation? Is this what they call double standard form of justice? If the permits and licensing division causes the closure of this small establishment because there is no permit then, they should also do the same to Casa Vallejo, hotel and if they cannot, then… shame on them!
***
After receiving complaints about those vendors who openly ply their trades at Igorot Garden Park just across the road from Sunshine grocery and Venis Hotel, me and my bubwit went personally to survey the area and found out that vendors occupy almost half of the park with their vegetable goods.

I immediately called the attention of the public order and safety division, POSD in their office which acted immediately. Well, I would again raise my two hands to salute the POSD men for acting swiftly on this matter.

But, If I am correct that Igorot garden park area is under the jurisdiction of punong barangay “Benjie Pinlac of AZCKO, I wonder why he tolerates such to happen, or maybe he gave them his blessings for humanitarian or perhaps other reasons we don’t know?

Speaking about the AZCKO barangay, a manager of a mini bus company in Otek St. complained to us that Pinlac seems to harass him and the bus company.

A certain “Nick” told to my bubwit that Pinlac required them to get barangay clearance. even their sweepers and toilet cleaners were required. He believes neighboring bus companies are not being required to get barangay clearance. He said some personnel of other bus companies told him.

“Pera pera lamang iyan sa barangay”

Pinlac accordingly, also got the megaphone they were using for calling their passengers after the first told them not to use the said megaphone because it was noisy.

They were even told by Pinlac that their buses cause obstruction but the truth according to him is not, and it’s the buses of other neighboring bus companies that are obstructing the road. Nick also claims collection of SOPs by the barangay.

There are more issues that the source is willing to expose these coming days. Meanwhile; I am calling the attention of my friend AZCKO punong barangay Benjie Pilac for him to give his side on this issue. I could accommodate some space of this column for him.
***
How true is it that the fire that happened at the mountainous land of Camp 8 and Camp 7 owned by the Binay-an clan near the vicinity of Loakan in Baguio City is intentional?

According to Salvador Binay-an of the Barot Binay-an ancestral land clan, the reported kaingin on their land was the handiwork of a person out to grab their property.

Funny, but when he got the service of independent investigation agency to probe the incident the investigators tasked to do were the ones instead investigated by the Baguio Police office station 8 headed by a certain Maj. Balake upon the order of Mr. Lumpias who is accordingly a former BIR official.

I don’t know if the incident is recorded on the Police Blotter or not, and it is a wonder how powerful this Mr. Lumpias that he was able to convince the entire BCPO station 8 to apprehend the independent investigators claiming that the latter are fake as in “bogus”.

For the readers to have a clear picture on the issue, we are writing this special edition from the start to finish.

I had a chance to meet Salvador Binayan sometime first week of March this year when he was introduced to me by my friend investigating the cases of the said heirs of Barot Binayan.

At first, I mistook him as one among those taking intelligence network course given by my friend and his group at their office located in Bayanihan Bldg., Otek St. but upon introduction and when heard his stories, I presumed that this old man needed help. This goes the story.

The Barot Binayan heirs trace their origin from their great grandfather Kidyad of 1600. Kidyad offspring Mang-os who is married to Tomay in 1700 and Barot. Binay-an married to Tong Koc Palispis in 1866-1937, eventually blessed with 6 children namely Kellet Dadjon, Cani Palque Doroan and Caoi Binay-an.

In 1960’s the father of Salvador Binay-an, the youngest of Barot Binay-an compiled all their documents, prepared a sketch paln of Barot Ancestral Lands and applied at the Bureau of Lands from 1960 up to 1980’s but said application was stopped due to issuance of a decree by the former President Ferdinand E. Marcos stopping all tittling of lands in the city of Baguio particularly on lands within reservation like Camp John Hay wherein the Barot lands application happens to be inside the said Camp reservation.

After the EDSA revolution in 1986, Corazon Aquino who became the president through People’s Power, revived the issue on ancestral claims. This when Congress abrogagated or ended the Philippine Treaty with the Americans. Caoi Binay-an pursued application for Barot ancestral lands.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources, then under the office of the president formed a special task force solely for the purpose of processing ancestral lands and the ancestral lands claim of the Barot Binay-an heirs was among those given favorable recognition. (More on this)