Banaue mayor: Barbs over park building due to politics

By Victor Martin

LAGAWE, Ifugao   The mayor of this tourist town said a petition questioning the construction of a P55-million parking facility here was politically motivated, noting three of the petitioners were his rivals in the previous election.

Mayor Jerry Dalipog urged officials of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) to visit the town and see for themselves the construction site of the building which oppositionists said blocked the view of the famous Banaue Rice Terraces.

In a letter dated Aug. 13, Dalipog asked NCCA chairman Felipe de Leon Jr. to inspect the project or send representatives to verify the information on the facility.

Dalipog said the municipal government did not intend to desecrate the rice terraces, noting the building is within the commercial area and far from the heritage site.

On Aug. 5, the NCCA requested the municipal government to stop the construction of the seven-story parking building, which was said to be blocking the view of the rice terraces.

The NCCA s order stemmed from a petition filed by village chief Fernando Bahatan, lawyer Kendall Immoliap, Fiscal Zenaida Munar-Niwane, former town mayor Lino Madchiw and Grasibel Rufino, citing alleged violations and irregularities in the project.

The petitioners questioned the use of municipal development funds as collateral to secure a loan from the Development Bank of the Philippines to finance the project.

Meanwhile, Genoveva Candelario-Pocopio, chairman of the Association of Barangay Captains, has withdrawn her support for the parking building.

Pocopio admitted she was among the signatories of Municipal Ordinance No. 16 that authorized the use of the town s internal revenue allotment for the parking lot project.