Public warned against buying Dairy Farm lands

By Dexter A. See 

BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan warned individuals wanting to own real properties in the city against buying lands located within the 92-hectare Baguio Dairy Farm because no part of that government property is for sale.

            The local chief executive revealed a number of individuals have sought his advice regarding properties being sold within the Baguio Dairy Farm. He reminded prospective buyers that there is an impending demolition of the over 350 illegal structures that were built within the government property.

            “We call on the public not to buy lands being sold by enterprising informal settlers in the Baguio Dairy Farm because these sales are illegal and in gross violation of existing laws, rules and regulations. Sellers of lands in the area have no actual proof of ownership of the properties they are selling.”

            He instructed the City Legal Office to set a meeting with the Office of the Solicitor-General, the court sheriff, officials of the agriculture department and other concerned offices of the local government to finalize the details on how to implement the demolition order against the informal settlers after this was upheld by a local court.

            Domogan disclosed enterprising informal settlers are selling parcels of land and their shanties in the Baguio Dairy Farm to willing buyers for as low as P50,000.

            Last year, the Cordillera office of the Department of Agriculture (DA-CAR), the City Government of Baguio and the Tuba Municipal government conducted a joint census of the illegal structures erected by informal settlers within the Baguio Dairy Farm after a local court upheld the demolition order against these structures with finality.

            Domogan explained the sale of the illegally occupied lots within the government property allegedly led to the death of one of the leaders of the informal settlers, thus, the need for the concerned government agencies to immediately enforce the demolition of the illegal structures to prevent more complications once more illegal land sales will be made on unsuspecting individuals.

            Earlier, the Presidential Commission on Urban Poor (PCUP) conducted a pre-demolition conference with the local government, the DA-CAR and the affected informal settlers in preparation for the eventual eviction of the latter who built structures over portions of the government property.

            Domogan urged individuals wanting to own properties in the different parts of the city to validate the authenticity of the proof of ownership being shown to them by the sellers with relevant government agencies before shelling out their hard-earned money.

            He claimed there are numerous enterprising land speculators in the city who were able to cart away millions of pesos of the hard-earned money of unwitting buyers, and he reminds the public to be more circumspect in buying lands being sold at cheap prices.