Sagada land owner shrugs off rally against Kiltepan property

SAGADA, Mountain Province – The legitimate owner of a 3-hectare property in Kiltepan here shrugged off a recent rally staged by some local residents against their duly documented claim of the property, saying that such desperate actions of purported claimants, who are in cahoots with a ranking municipal official, is just a rehash of old resolved issues and a move to justify their alleged land grabbing activities.

Wilson Capuyan, the duly recognized owner of the Kiltepan prime lot, said most of the rallyists were the ones who were reportedly involved in the demolition of the fence and gate which they erected over their property last year and that they were hired by her own sister FelyOmengan and Mayor Eduardo Latawan to continue misleading and is informing the people about the facts of the property which had already been resolved several decades ago.

“The gathering done by the hired people of the purported claimants over the purchased property is simply to justify their desire to grab the property despite the issue of ownership having been resolved by the courts,” Capuyan said.

Records show that the ten cases that were filed in relation to the ownership of the property had been resolved in favour of the Lam-ens and eventually the Capuyans.

The Capuyans bought three hectares from the 31-hectare property of the Lam-ens in Kiltepan in the 1980s purposely to develop it as an ecotourism site and to help in providing an added attraction for local and foreign tourists that will significantly contribute in uplifting the town’s tourism industry.

According to him, the lot was bought by the Capuyans but the municipal council in 2009 unilaterally declared it as a park without just cause, due process and even without compensation to the owners already in possession of the property.

Capuyan narrated that it was only in 2010 or one year after the passage of the ordinance declaring their property as a park that the representatives of the municipal government came to him and inquired whether or not he will donate the property to be used as a public facility.

However, he declined the offer of the local government because improvements were already done within the property and that the offer was done in bad faith considering that it was made after the issue on proper consultation, due process and just cause was raised against the declaration of the property as a park.

Capuyan asserted his ownership over the property which had been previously upheld by the courts and the previous gatherings and harassments done to them by the municipal government and even his own sister clearly illustrates their alleged greed to grab prime properties within the town which they will use to advance their own personal and business interests depriving other people of their capability to develop potential tourist destinations that would spice up the local tourism industry. -- Dexter A. See