Deal with gov’t goes awry; Sagada land owners plant P9 M road with bananas

DISPUTED ROAD- A land owner planted bananas in this P9 million barangay road project in  Sagada,Mountain Province due to issues of road right of way and breach of agreement. 

By Gina Dizon

 SAGADA, Mountain Province -- A P9 million barangay road project has reached a point where a disgruntled land owner planted banana trees in protest of an agreement with the government which has been allegedly breached.  
    In an interview, Nora Paleyan owner of an adjoining parcel of land located here at Sitio Pokan along the Pocan to Bumabanga barangay road project said she allowed use of a portion of her lot for said project.
    Paleyan said she was shocked to know that the agreement did not turn out as was supposed to be but instead road construction went in excess against what was agreed upon.
    She said some 100 square meters of her lot was taken aside from a box culvert not having been installed but instead circular culverts were placed.
    She complained a parapet was needed on top of the protection wall above the road side to prevent rain waters from going to her lot below the road.
    Other lot owners located below her lot said it would be dangerous if no parapet is constructed to divert water that may flow from the road to their land below.
    Paleyan said there was yet no resolution arrived at with the municipal LGU nor with the contractors on her complaint.
    The road project is implemented by the local government of Sagada and the Dept. of Interior and Local Government with funds soured from the Local Government Support Fund Assistance to Municipalities (LGSF-AM).
    The Contract project was awarded to Bontoc Builders with duration of project set starting Jan. 14 to April 11, 2021.
    As of press time, concreting has not yet commenced on the opened road with a width of six meters and length starting from the ending of the Guedangan-Dagdag road at Pukan to a section along the Besao- Sagada provincial road above Bomabanga Central School.   
    Municipal Engineer Siano Baldo said the contract project completion was extended till June this year due to pandemic issues.
     Siano said consultation with the affected lot owners with the presence of and the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples has been done before the project started early this year.
    He added there were other affected lot owners who may not have been informed considering it was the responsibility of barangay officials.
     In an interview, DILG cluster head Samson Appay said if the municipal mayor has already issued a certification that there are no issues on road ownership or road- right- of- way, the DILG lets the implementing LGU do the project.
    At press time, lot owner Soledad Longid complained to Sagada Reports Facebook Page that they asked the LGU “to write their plans and how much of our land they want to get” but have yet to receive a response.
    Paleyan said the road plan was not showed to them during the consultation conducted at the Patay Poblacion barangay hall.
    Lot owner Bogan Daoas in said FB page also said there was no permission from her family before the contractors worked on some portions of their family lot.