BWD denies folks’ plea for water in Buyog watershed

By Jordan G. Habbiling

BAGUIO CITY -- The Baguio Water District said it could not grant the request of Barangay Pinget residents for a water service connection as their structures are within the Buyog Watershed Forest Reserve.
    Earlier, Pablo Pawi, punong barangay of Pinget, wrote to the city council to ask for help with their appeal for a water service connection.
    Attached in the letter was a list of 25 residents in Pinget not serviced by the BWD. 
    In a forum with the Baguio City Council Nov. 21, lawyer Chanell Dolor de Guzman, BWD senior corporate counsel, said Proclamation No. 93, s. 1992 which established the Buyog Watershed established the entire area from entry sale, disposition, or settlement.
    “Inasmuch as we understand the predicament of the petitioners considering that, indeed, water is a basic human right, the BWD’s hands are tied by restrictions due to the fact that we have to protect the water sources therein,” de Guzman said.
    City council members said aside from Proclamation No. 93, s. 1992, Section f of Ordinance 67-2009 prohibits installation of electric and water supply to structures that are “within government reservations, school areas, national and forest reservations, duly identified watershed areas, road right-of-ways and on dangerous areas as identified by the proper government agency.”
    According to her, a Certificate of Ancestral Land Claim (CALC) issued by the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is not recognized as a basis for approving an application for a water service application since the ordinance does not explicitly say so.
    De Guzman claimed the BWD had not granted any application for structures situated within forest and watershed reservations since the passage of the ordinance.
    She added no exemption is given to any applicant residing within a reservation so as not to create any precedent. 
    Based on a DENR-CAR survey as relayed by de Guzman, of the 20 hectares delineated for the Buyog Watershed, 12 hectares had already been occupied by settlers while the remaining 7.92 hectares is still forested. 
    The city council referred the matter to its committee on public utilities, transportation and traffic legislation for legislative action.