By Aileen P. Refuerzo
BAGUIO CITY
– Tuba municipal councilor Roger Kitma has appealed for “healing” of the
relations between the Baguio City government and Tuba residents and appealed to
the city officials here to work out the settlement of the issues on Asin
mini-hydroelectric plants.
The issuance of the waiver would pave the way
for the implementation of the compromise agreement entered in 2010 by the city
government and the TNHALA for the city’s payment of the rentals to the
residents for the use of their properties traversed by the mini-hydro flume
lines.
“Short of saying we are appealing for healing
through said waiver, the undersigned now prays that the decision-makers
comprising the City would understand that they are dealing with individuals,
whose individual participation that gave rise to Civil Case No. 6911-R are
practically indeterminable, making it ripe to be ‘overlooked’ if only to create
better relations,” he wrote.
“Kindness and goodness beget kindness and
goodness. I am sure that when the City finally reaches out without too
much concern for legalities, the hearts of our affected constituents in Tuba
would likewise soften up,” he said.
Kitma said the opposition filed by resident
against the city’s intention to revive the operations of the Asin mini-hydros
in Nov. 1, 2015, was anchored on two grounds: “the unsatisfied clamor for
payment of rentals and the absence of activities that are mutually beneficial
to affected Asin residents and the city, that is, the maintenance of flume
lines upon which residents depend upon for water used domestically or for
farming.”
“Indeed it has been a long time since the
hydros were operated and the continuing deferral of any activities in the area
have left our constituents thereat restive. Our humble projection is that
if the city continues to delay said payments and defer its active presence
onsite, the more such delay will create problems insofar as the hydros and
relationships between and amongst all affected parties are concerned,” Kitma
said.
He suggested that payment of the computed
rentals and the issuance of a waiver be done the soonest possible time “if only
to be able to diffuse any growing tensions between the city and the affected
residents.”
Mayor Mauricio Domogan has time and again
expressed hopes that the claims will be settled at the city council the soonest
possible time so the rentals can be paid to the affected residents pursuant to
the compromise agreement.
The city government and landowners in 2010
signed a compromise agreement for the compensation of the residents whose lands
are affected by the pipelines and plant facilities ending a long standing
dispute over reparation issues that in the past resulted to disruption of the
plants’ operations and even led to a court case between the parties.
As per the agreement, the city will
compensate the landowners by way of rentals amounting to three percent of the
net surplus from the operation of the mini-hydro plants subject to conditions
that the rentals will be retroactive to year 2007 when the city assumed
management of the plant; that the rentals will be subject to increase after
three years; and that the rentals shall be payable to TNHLA which will assume
the task of distributing the amount to the affected landowners.
The agreement was approved by the court and
the corresponding amount had been allocated by the city government however ,
the execution of the agreement did not push through in view of the need to
negotiate and waive the claim of the city government for damages before the
City Council.
The association earlier appealed to the city council to waive the claim.
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