Sagada road built on private property; owner complains

Payment suspended 

By Gina Dizon 

SAGADA, Mountain Province – The payment for construction of a farm to market road here was suspended by the government after a lot owner complained she was not consulted about the project before this was constructed. 

Lot owner Caroline W Baybay here from southern Sagada said she wanted the slope of the road constructed with

retaining wall.

In her letter to  the office of the Department of Interior and Local Government , Baybay said the  project   identified as improvement of Ankileng road project  funded   through  the Bottoms- Up Budgeting (BuB) process  caused  her  adjoining  farm  susceptible to erosion especially during the rainy  season.

In her letter which also copy furnished BuB  focal person Lynn Madalang for Mountain Province, complainant Baybay said  Sagada Mayor  Eduardo Latawan caused the stonewalling of 20 meters of the affected farm “to appease” her. 

The constructed road was part of the complainant’s property with said project implemented by the local government of Sagada. 

The  road measuring 130 meters   in length by 3.6 meters width with a budget of P1.3 million began construction May and completed July this year. 

Baybay said she was amenable to donate part of her property but agreement was not  made between her and project implementer. 

She said the road named as Ankileng Road was her private property and thus should not just be unilaterally named by implementer as such. 

Said road diverts from the main Suyo road and leads towards Sitio Pakil.