MORE NEWS, BAGUIO CITY

‘Cover up’ by DENR feared on probe of disputed ‘concrete belt’
By Isagani S. Liporada

BAGUIO CITY - Wary of a possible “cover-up” by a “special team” tasked by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to investigate an alleged illegal titling of a lot along Chuntug St., a city councilor last week proposed a resolution seeking cancellation of a suspected erroneously issued title in favor of a Filipino-Chinese businessman.

The resolution penned by councilor Fred Bagbagen “requested the Office of the Solicitor General (OSG) to cancel Original Certificate of Title No. P-2607, which was consolidated with Transfer Certificate of Title (TCT) No. T-47381 under TCT No. T-79759 in the name of Yu Hwa Ping.

Earlier, the DENR issued undated Special Order (SO) No. 14, “creating a team to conduct investigation for possible filing of cancellation proceedings over the title issued on a road-right-of-way,” right at the foot of city hall.

DENR regional executive director Samuel Penafiel named Atty. Joseph Humiding (chair), Atty. Cleo Andrada, Engr. Wilbert Mangliwan, Evelyn S. Wales Norbert Aquino, and Filipinas Mallare to investigate how the title was processed. This, “In view of newspaper reports and letter complaints,” Penafiel in the SO said.

Meanwhile, lawyer Reynaldo Cortes said he is going to request councilors Isabelo Cosalan, Jr. and Perlita Chan-Rondez to inhibit themselves from City Council discussions on the matter.
Cosalan who chairs the council committee for urban planning, lands and housing, Cortez explained, is related to Victor Cosalan who is DENR’s regional technical director for lands.

Rondez, on the other hand, is the daughter-in-law of Atty. Teopisto Rondez, Hwa Ping’s counsel.
Seeing Hwa Ping priming up for a construction in the area, Cortes earlier filed opposition with concerned local officials seeking to stop the latter from erecting vertical structures.

Cortes premised his opposition on three issues: First, the land cannot be disposed of through Townsite Sales Application (TSA) because it is a part of a road-right-of-way along Chuntug St.

Second, the parcel of land forms part of City Hall Reservation under Proc. No. 62.

Lastly, TSA applications can only be granted once to a landless applicant. Curiously, aside from owning the adjacent property to the disputed lot, records show that Hwa Ping has been consistently using “Skyrise Hotel” letterheads in most of his official communications to the City Council since the late 1990’s.

Meantime, city legal officer Melchor Carlos Rabanes may actually get his earlier prayers granted via Bagbagen’s proposed resolution.

Rabanes earlier said his office is mulling Ombudsman cases against certain officials of the DENR.
However, he stayed his plans pending City Council imprimatur on the matter.

Bagbagen in his proposal authorizes the legal officer to identify all persons involved and responsible for the processing of the title to Hwa Ping and to file the appropriate charges.

As early as 1995, Hwa Ping worked double time securing the property under his name despite opposition from then local officials. In the same year, the Department of Public Works and

Highways reported that the property is covered by the Baguio City Hall Reservation and is upon a
road-right-of-way.

“However,” Rabanes said, “Despite city declarations reserving the area for greenbelt purposes, the fact that Hwa Ping was able to secure title consolidating the questioned lot with his adjoining property raises doubts as to how a title now referring to a 360-square meter parcel of land was secured.”

Currently, the lot which was originally meant for the establishment of a “greenbelt area,” has unexplainably been transformed into a “concrete belt.”


Fuel depots to cut high oil prices nationwide
By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY – The establishment of fuel depots in different parts of the country by the Department of Energy will help avert an impending fare increase arising from the unabated oil price hikes.
With the depots, diesel prices will be reduced by at least P5 per liter.

This was reported by Perfecto Itliong, Jr., regional coordinator of the Public Transport Affairs Office in the Cordillera, who said four fuel depots are expected to be built in this mountain resort city for the benefit of owners of public and private vehicles using diesel.

At present, the Federation of Jeepney Operators and Drivers Association in Baguio, Benguet and La Union (FEJODABBLU) is looking for lots with an area of at least 500 square meters each at strategic parts in the city where the fuel depots will be constructed.

Itliong said the depots will be managed by the local transport groups to provide an added source of income for the jeepney associations.

He said the 10,000-liter depot will be able to supply the diesel needs of some 10,000 public and private vehicles operating in this city and nearby areas.

The PTAO official said diesel fuel to be sold in the depots is compliant with the requirements of the Clean Air Act which states that it must contain at least two percent bio-ethanol to help improve combustion, provide clean air, and improve the performance of the vehicles.

With expected stiff opposition from the three big oil players because of the expected drop in their sales, Itliong said that they do not mind if the business of the giant oil companies will be adversely affected as long as the people will not suffer from the consequences of fare increase caused by the unabated hikes in oil prices which are dictated by the big players in the industry.

He called on officials of the Department of Energy hasten establishment of the fuel depots so that these would be operational in the next few weeks to give relief to drivers and operators of public utility vehicles.

This would give them a chance to earn more because of the difference between the price of diesel to be sold in the depot and the prices of the gasoline stations controlled by the big industry players.

At the same time, the local transport group is also preparing for an expected boom with the shift of diesel-fed vehicles to liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), noting the big savings the operators will realize.

The drivers and operators will participate in seminars and training on how to use safely LPG in their vehicles.


Lack of telecom facilities : Baguio City removed from RP list of IT hubs
By Dexter A. See

BAGUIO CITY — Players in the Information Technology industry have removed this mountain resort city from the list of the major IT and call center hubs in the country due to the lack of sufficient telecommunication infrastructure facilities that would guarantee continuous service to foreign and local clients.

This was reported by Trinidad C. Trinidad, executive director of the Baguio-Benguet Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc., who said that it is now high time for the government to adopt appropriate measures that would attract telecommunication investors to come to this city and build the needed facilities for advanced IT operations.

She said that IT and call center companies expanding their operations in the Philippines go to Cebu, Davao, Clark or Subic because of the presence of three or more service providers that could guarantee their uninterrupted service to their clients in the different parts of the world.

In this city, it is only the Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co. (PLDT) and Smart Telecommunications Co. which are considered as advanced telecommunication service providers of the call centers here.

Trinidad said the delisting of this city as one of the IT and call center hubs in the country is a big setback and contrary to the repeated pronouncements of national and local officials that this city is fast becoming the IT and call center hub of the north.

While business in this city remains in good shape despite the economic slowdown in the United States and unabated oil price increases, Dennis Sy, president of the Baguio Filipino Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said that the government, both national and local, must adopt appropriate programs and projects that are designed to boost investors’ confidence in a certain area like Baguio City so that the desired economic growth in the areas outside Metro Manila can be achieved.

In the case of this city, businessmen have time and again prodded local officials to formulate a local investment plan to serve as a plus factor for prospective investors to locate their businesses here especially in the telecommunication industry in which the city is falling behind.

Trinidad said that IT and call center companies have greatly helped in providing employment to thousands of residents, but the delisting of the city as one of the IT and call center hubs in the country could adversely affect the economic gains which the city has achieved in the past several years.

Ironically, telecommunication companies are having second thoughts of investing billions of pesos for the improvement of their facilities to cope with the advancement of technology because of the allegedly huge capital needed due to the mountainous terrain and the low return of investment caused by a small market.


Beneco opens Maharlika pay center

BAGUIO CITY -- The Benguet Electric Coop. opened its latest collection center here at the Maharlika Livelihood Center last week.

The Beneco consumer services department relocated its small collection center from the first floor to a bigger location at the second floor of Maharlika when it became available recently.

About two thousand consumers pay daily at the Maharlika collection center during peak collection days, based on the number of bills collected that means a P2 million collection for the cooperative, according to Collection supervisor Thelma Magat.

It is the second biggest collection center of Beneco next to its Bunoan collection center.

“The Beneco board approved CSD manager Brenda Carling’s proposal during our Nov. 6 regular meeting, to improve our service and allay the suffering and discomfort of our consumers forced to wait in a long line,” said lawyer Benny Bomogao, Beneco’s new board president.

Compared to the cramped floor area that can only allow four tellers to collect from its old location, the second floor paying site can now accommodate eight tellers and tripled the number of paying consumers who can be seated inside.

“In our new office, from four tellers, we will increase it to eight tellers to serve our paying consumers to collect during peak collections that usually cause very long lines at the Maharlika ground floor and obstructing other stalls that sometimes result in heated arguments between paying consumers and stall owners, “ Carling said.

The bigger space can now accommodate about 70 consumers seated comfortably in an air-conditioned room while awaiting their turn to pay, instead of standing on queue.

Steps are also being undertaken to increase the queue numbering to give chance to consumers to do other errands first instead of waiting in line, to be programmed in the Beneco numbering machine. – Laarni Sibayan