Sagada folks assail ‘sale’ of lands to Ayalas, foreigners

Mayor opposes coffee shop near water falls 

Sagada netizens are apprehensive of the building of a supposed to be coffee shop near Bokong waterfalls. (Photo by Wanay Bagni-Kinaud )

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province – Local folks are opposing entry of outsiders of this tourist town including the Ayalas of Manila and foreigners who are reportedly eyeing to buy lands and convert these into resorts or business establishments.

Residents made a statement asserting their position not to sell or lease land of this town to outsiders.

This, after reports a parcel of lot on top of a hill at Sitio Kanip-aw was being sold to the Ayalas.

An interview with the land caretaker said a real estate dealer from Manila approached him saying he was looking for a parcel of land in Sagada.

Said caretaker noted that the prospective sale is not possible without a frontage unless lot owners located below the target lot sell these to  prospective buyer.

Said lot measuring nine hectares and located on a hill in the eastern part of town has already been surveyed by the municipal assessor. 

Local folks in their statement said, “We firmly oppose the entry of Ayala or anybody who would dispossess us of our ancestral heritage. This is our patrimony and must remain so for generations.”

Customs here in this town have this practice of land transfer via sale offered first to members of the family and if not taken shall be sold to members of the community and it not taken shall be sold outside of the community.

“Rich businessmen and showbiz personalities have expressed their interest to buy, lease our land. Thus will have serious implications on Sagada’s local governance by giving way to outside moneyed interests,” the statement stated.  

A recent forum in northern Sagada called on Sagada residents to hold on to their ancestral land for the use of generations more to come.

Some isolated parcels of lots with existing business establishments here have been sold to outsiders and some locals have business partnership deals with persons outside of Sagada.

A municipal ordinance calls for the ownership and management of business engaged in tourism only for those with ‘Sagada ancestry.’

Meanwhile, following a Facebook post of a construction identified to be  coffee shop near a ricefield close to the Bokong Waterfalls got the criticism of local netizens saying the building shall destroy the scenic site.

Sagada mayor James Pooten Jr said the construction should be stopped while talks are underway between the owner and municipal officials.

The owner of the ricefield and operator of the building of the structure said she has rights to her property and shall pursue construction of the coffee shop.

The ricefield is near the tourist spot hidden in a nook amongst  ricefields and  favorite site among visitors who wish to have a swim.

The lot owner said she is primarily concerned on the gradual erosion of the ricefield since then which prompted her to initiate improvements on said parcel of lot.

Currently the area where the ricefield located in an agricultural site in a forested area is not classified whether it is protected or not with the lack of the town’s zoning law. 

Netizens complained the construction of the structure may contaminate the waters flowing along the river.

              Exasperated netizens said Article 51 of the Water Code of the Philippines states that “the banks of rivers and streams and the shores of the seas and lakes throughout their entire length and within a zone of three meters in urban area, 20 meters in agricultural areas and 40 meters in forest areas, along their margins, are subject to the easement of public use in the interest of recreation, navigation, flotage, fishing and salvage.  No person shall be allowed to stay in this zone longer than what is necessary for recreation, navigation, flotage, fishing or salvage or to build structures of any kind.”

Said structure is also under fire for threatening the natural beauty of the scenic spot.

The 2007  revised tourism code of Sagada states that, “all sacred places such as but not limited to dap-ays, babawiyan, patpatayan, including the immediate premises, and all the scenic spots such as but not limited to the following namely ‘burial, caves, hanging coffins, rock formation, underground rivers, waterfalls  are hereby recognized as community property and shall be beyond private appropriation. Owners of adjoining lots are prohibited from making constructions that will tend to obstruct from view points, destroy or substantially alter the natural beauty of the nearby scenic spots.

Construction has reached the foundation part of the structure with posts and the wall on its initial stages when the building was stopped.

The revised tourism code provides however that, “as far as practicable no improvement shall be introduced in sacred and or scenic spots which will tend to destroy or substantially alter the natural condition of the sacred place or scenic spots.”

Wanay Bagni- Kinaud who photographed the  construction and posted it on Facebook  is apprehensive that another construction shall be built  followed by another.

Resident Karl Gulian is apprehensive of the implementation of the laws cited.

               Some establishments have already been constructed close to tourist spots -- one near a  cave, one within ricefields, and a number of houses and inns  located above water springs.

The zoning code remains un-enacted by the sangguniang bayan though the town’s comprehensive land use plan is available.