DepEd heads draft resolution to end Benguet schools land issues

By Augustin  A. Dao-anis

KAPANGAN, Benguet—The public secondary school heads in this province crafted a resolution requesting municipal assessor offices in the province to help  perfect and title public school sites in their jurisdiction, during a general assembly at Gov. Bado Dangwa Agro-Industrial School (GBDAIS) here Sept. 3-4.

During the event organized by the National Association of Public Secondary School Heads, Inc. (NAPSSHI)-Benguet Chapter, it was found out that most school heads face problems on school sites like land titling, boundary disputes, and presence of illegal settlers.

“It was brought to the attention of this body during its general assembly that several public secondary schools in Benguet have yet to process perfection and titling of their school sites due to complicated presence of illegal settlers, encroachment, boundary disputes and among others,” the resolution stated.

“Whereas, the Provincial Government of Benguet has already supported the Memorandum of Agreement between the Department of Education (DepEd) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to jointly undertake the perfection and titling of school sites but the aforesaid problems hinder school heads from processing the necessary documents,” the resolution added.

Since the municipal assessor’s office of Mankayan started working with the different public schools in its jurisdiction to solve school site issues, the public school heads recommended this move to be adopted by other 12 municipalities of the province.

“This body recommends the said move of the Mankayan Municipal Assessor’s Office to be adopted by the Municipal Local Government Units in Benguet,” the school heads added.

Meanwhile, school site disputes prevailed in the open forum of the public secondary school heads with Glen N. Duguis, administrative officer of Benguet schools division, during the assembly.

Duguis hailed the action of the Mankayan assessor’s office in resolving public school site arguments in the town.

“We came to know during the assembly that most school heads face the same problems regarding school sites,” said Alfonso C. Doriano, NAPSSHI-Benguet Chapter president and principal of La Trinidad National High School, La Trinidad, Benguet.