Summons by Publication; PAUL CASTILLO, ROSE ANN F. CASTILLO, TARA CASTILLO ANGELES and ALBIN CASTILLO, versus SPS. RUTH AMOS SALES AND ERIC TOMAS SALES, SPS. PATRICIO AMOS AND SOCORRO AMOS, ANTONIO AMOS, THE REGISTRY OF DEEDS FOR BENGUET, and THE ASSESSOR’S OFFICE OF LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET

 
Republic of the Philippines
MUNICIPAL TRIAL COURT OF LA TRINIDAD
FIRST JUDICIAL REGION
Benguet Province
Tel. No. (074) 422-2603/ Mobile Nos. 0929-397-7945(Smart); 09458235135 (Globe)
Email address: mtc2ltr000@judiciary.gov.ph
 
 
 
PAUL CASTILLO, ROSE                                              CIVIL CASE NO. R- 1521
ANN F. CASTILLO, TARA
CASTILLO ANGELES and                                             For: QUIETING OF TITLE
ALBIN CASTILLO, 
                              Plaintiffs,                            
 
            -versus-                                                                                   
 
SPS. RUTH AMOS SALES
AND ERIC TOMAS SALES,
SPS. PATRICIO AMOS AND
SOCORRO AMOS, ANTONIO
AMOS, THE REGISTRY OF
DEEDS FOR BENGUET, and
THE ASSESSOR’S OFFICE
OF LA TRINIDAD, BENGUET,
                                Defendants                                                                                   
x-------------------------------------x                                                                                                                                                                
 
SUMMONS BY PUBLICATION
            WHEREAS,  on July 26, 2022,  plaintiffs, through counsel, filed a verified  Complaint, quoted in part, as follows:
 
“xxx
 
            THE PARTIES
1.     Plaintiffs Rose Ann F. Castillo, single; Alvin F. Castillo, single; Tara Castillo Angeles, married to Marvin William Angeles; and Paul F. Castillo, married to Glynda D. Castillo, all of legal age, Filipinos, and residents of No. 20 City Camp Proper, Baguio City;
 
2.     Defendants Ruth Amos Sales married to Eric Tomas Sales; Patricio Amos married to Socorro Amos and Patricio Amos, widower, are of legal age, Filipinos and with address at 323 Cruz, La Trinidad, Benguet;
 
3.     The Register of Deeds for Benguet is impleaded as a nominal party being the public repository of all records and documents affecting registered lands in the Province of Benguet with office address located at La Trinidad, Benguet;
 
4.     The Assessor’s Office of La Trinidad, Benguet is impleaded as a nominal party being the public repository of all records and documents affecting registered and unregistered lands and buildings in La Trinidad, Benguet with office address located at Municipal Hall, La Trinidad, Benguet;
 
5.     Third Parties claiming the property are impleaded as necessary parties having adverse claim over the property and being the actual and material possessors and holding the property adverse to the plaintiff; 
 
II. THE CAUSE OF ACTION
 
6.     Plaintiffs are the compulsory heirs of the late spouses Cipriano and Teodora Castillo who died on June 15, 2000 and September 15, 2016, respectively, both at Baguio City;
 
7.     On the other hand, defendants are the forced heirs of the late Michael Amos who was the previous owner of the vast parcel of land located at Pico La Trinidad, Benguet which was then an unregistered land; 
 
8.     During his lifetime in October, 1982, Michael Amos sold three parcels of land each containing an area of 1,000 square meters in favor of Cipriano Castillo, Teodora Castillo and Alvin Castillo pursuant to the three (3) Deeds of Sale of Unregistered Land[1] notarized before the faith of notary public Juanito B. Castillo all dated 23 October 1982;
 
9.     At the time, the parcels of land were covered by Tax Declaration No. 0206 of the Assessor’s Office of La Trinidad, Benguet, identically described as bounded on the North by Ganasi Ingosan, et al., Lot 1, Psu-179220; on the East by Lot 6; on the South by the City of Baguio and on the West by property of Isabelo Acyapat;
 
10.           The three (3) parcels of land are further identified in the Sketch Plan designated as Lot 1, Psu-198528 as surveyed by Thomas A. Batnag, geodetic engineer, containing an aggregate area of 48,938 square meters as Lot 1-B for Cipriano Castillo, Lot 1-C for Teodora F. Castillo, and Lot 1-D for Alvin F. Castillo;
 
11.           The Castillo’s processed the transfer and segregation of the lots they bought, registered the Deeds of Sale and paid the Capital Gains and Documentary Stamp Taxes. Consequently, the Assessor’s Office issued three tax declarations under Assessment of Real Property bearing numbers 0320, 0321, and 0322 (now, ARP NOS. 99-012-09498, 99-012-09500 and 99-012-09501) in the names of Cipriano Castillo, Teodora Castillo and Alvin Castillo, respectively;
 
12.           Since they acquired the properties, plaintiffs and their ancestors occupied and possessed the properties unmolested for more than twenty (20) years. To further secure their ownership, they marked its boundaries with concrete monuments (mojon) to define its metes and bounds and fenced with barbed wires to visibly warn trespassers and deter speculators;
 
13.           To complete their ownership, plaintiffs applied for titling of the properties but was unduly stalled indefinitely and were not able to pursue and perfect their application for titling because the defendants refused to sign documentary requirements of the DENR;
14.           In 2012 to 2015, every time Paul Castillo came home from abroad, he never failed to visit and claim ownership to their properties but the caretakers of the defendants exercised hostilities and effectively barred him from entering the premises. He demanded the defendants to vacate and surrender the property but to no avail;
 
15.           In order to peaceably settle the matter with the defendants, plaintiff Paul Castillo earnestly and unceasingly reached out to the defendants through a series of Demand Letters but defendants failed to respond to all of the letters sent to them rendering it futile;
 
16.           Defendants for unknown reason refused and up to now still refuse to honor the existence of the deeds and so failed to deliver the properties to the complainants thereby depriving plaintiffs of their ownership and actual possession thereof;
 
17.           Despite being fully aware of plaintiffs’ claim over the property, defendants by subreption and bad faith proceeded to have the properties titled with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources resulting to the issuance of the Original Certificate of Title No. O-245;
 
18.           Defendants unmindfully included in their titling application the parcels of land duly conveyed to the plaintiffs by the late Michael Amos therefore deliberately and fraudulently misrepresented themselves in the process in spite of their knowledge on plaintiffs’ claim of ownership over the properties. In other words, they misrepresented in the course of their titling application in claiming that they are the owners and claimants of the entire lot when in truth, the 3,000 square meter portion thereof is not already theirs;
 
19.           They subsequently subdivided it resulting to the issuance of several derivative titles and tax declarations, among others are the Transfer Certificates of Tile bearing numbers T-71203, T-71207, T-71208 and T-71209 and tax declarations bearing ARP Nos. 2010-03-12-06357, 2010-03-12-06356, 2010-03-12-09993, and 2010-03-12-06358 in the name of the defendants. These titles and tax declarations overlaps the three (3) parcels of land owned by the plaintiffs;
 
20.           The three properties claimed by the plaintiffs have a total assessed value of P253,320.00;
 
21.           Plaintiffs previously filed a case for Enforcement of Deeds of Sale before the Regional Trial Court, La Trinidad, Benguet docketed under Civil Case No. 16-CV-3232 but was dismissed with prejudice;
 
22.           The Judicial Affidavit of plaintiff Paul Castillo is attached hereto and forms part of this Complaint;
 
 
 
 
III. COMPULSORY COUNTERCLAIM
 
23.           Due to fraud, bad faith and illegal manipulation of the private defendants in conniving with each other wrongfully deprived the plaintiffs of their ownership over the property in question, they sustained mental anguish, fright, serious anxiety, besmirched reputation, wounded feelings and mental shock for which the defendants should be liable to the plaintiffs in the sum of P100,000.00 as moral damages;
 
24.           To protect the rights and interest of the plaintiff in the illegal actuations of the defendants, they were forced to engage the services of counsel for which they are obligated to pay the sum of P100,000.00 as attorney’s fees and P5,000.00 per court appearance;
 
25.           To deter similar minded people from perpetrating such despicable acts, defendants should be ordered to pay the amount of P30,000.00 per month as rental fees reckoned from the time of defendants’ occupation of the subject properties in 2012 as payment for their illegal occupation to be determined by the court during the course of hearing; 
 
IV. EXHIBITS
 

EXHIBITS	DESCRIPTION and PURPOSE
A	Special Power of Attorney dated 29 April 2016
B	Death Certificate of Cipriano Castillo
C	Death Certificate of Teodora Castillo
D	Birth Certificate of Rose Ann Castillo
E	Birth Certificate of Tara Castillo Angeles
F	Birth Certificate of Alvin Castillo
G	Birth Certificate of Paul Castillo
H	Deed of Sale of Unregistered Land dated 23 October 1982 of Michael Amos in favor of Teodora Castillo
I	Deed of Sale of Unregistered Land dated 23 October 1982 of Michael Amos in favor of Cipriano Castillo
J	Deed of Sale of Unregistered Land dated 23 October 1982 of Michael Amos in favor of Alvin Castillo
H-1	Sketch Plan (dorsal side of Exh. H)
I-1	Sketch Plan (dorsal side of Exh. I)
J-1	Sketch Plan (dorsal side of Exh. J)
K	Receipt dated January 15, 1982
L	Certification issued by Barangay Pico
M	Survey Plan Year 1982 by Engr. Agustin Timpac
N	Survey Plan Year 1996 by Engr. Arnel Buado
O	Tax Declaration No. 0206 in the name of Michael Amos
P	Certificate Authorizing Registration bearing number 009476 issued by the BIR
Q	Certificate Authorizing Registration bearing number 009479 issued by the BIR
R	Certificate Authorizing Registration bearing number 009480 issued by the BIR
S	Tax Declaration No. 0322 in the name of Alvin F. Castillo
T	Tax Declaration No. 0321 in the name of Cipriano S. Castillo
U	Tax Declaration No. 0322 in the name of Teodora F. Castillo
V	History Report for Cipriano Castillo issued by the Office of the Municipal Assessor of La Trinidad
W	History Report for Teodora Castillo issued by the Office of the Municipal Assessor of La Trinidad
X	History Report for Albin Castillo issued by the Office of the Municipal Assessor of La Trinidad
Y	Assessment of Real Property No. 2010-03-12-10405
Z	Assessment of Real Property No. 2010-03-12-10406
AA	Assessment of Real Property No. 2010-03-12-10403
BB & Series	Receipts
CC	Survey Plan Year 1999 by Engr. Thomas Batnag
DD	Demand Letter dated February 9, 2011
EE	Demand Letter dated July 14, 2014
FF	Demand Letter dated March 25, 2015
GG	Assessment of Real Property No. 2010-03-12-06356 in the name of Ruth Amos Sales
HH	Assessment of Real Property No. 2010-03-12-06357 in the name of Ruth Amos Sales
II	Assessment of Real Property No. 2010-03-12-06358 in the name of Ruth Amos Sales
JJ	Assessment of Real Property No. 2010-03-12-09993 in the name of Ruth Amos Sales
KK	Transfer Certificate of Tile No. T-71203 in the name of Ruth Amos Sales, et al.
LL	Transfer Certificate of Tile No. T-71207 in the name of Ruth Amos Sales, et al.
MM	Transfer Certificate of Tile No. T-71208 in the name of Ruth Amos Sales, et al.
NN	Transfer Certificate of Tile No. T-71209 in the name of Ruth Amos Sales, et al.

 
 
            The foregoing exhibits will be presented to prove the following:
a.       The plaintiffs are the owners of the 3,000 square meter lot located in Pico, La Trinidad, Benguet;
b.       The parcels of land were sold by Michael Amos to Cipriano Castillo, Teodora Castillo and Alvin Castillo;
c.        After buying the properties, plaintiffs entered and possessed the property and introduced fence and barbed wires on its peripheries;
d.       Defendants forcibly entered the premises without the consent of the plaintiffs;
e.        Plaintiffs were forcibly prevented to use and enter the property by the defendants
f.         The plaintiffs are entitled to the reconveyance of the properties;
g.       The plaintiffs are entitled to the ownership and possession of the subject properties;
 
 
V. WITNESS
 
a.     Paul Castillo
-                       He will be presented to prove the following:
o.     The plaintiffs are the owners of the 3,000 square meter lot located in Pico, La Trinidad, Benguet;
o.     The parcels of land were sold by Michael Amos to Cipriano Castillo, Teodora Castillo and Alvin Castillo;
o.     forthwith, they entered and possessed the property and introduced fence and barbed wires on its peripheries;
o.     they were forcibly prevented to use and enter the property;
o.     The plaintiffs are entitled to the reconveyance of the properties;
o.     The plaintiffs are entitled to the ownership and possession of the subject properties;
 
 
VI. P R A Y E R
 
            WHEREFORE, it is respectfully prayed that judgment be rendered in favor of the plaintiffs and against the defendants:
 
1.     Ordering the removal of cloud over the properties of the plaintiffs;
 
2.     Declaring as invalid, ineffective or unenforceable the defendants’ Transfer Certificates of Title Nos. 71203, 71207, 71208, and 71209; tax declarations with ARP Nos. 2010-03-12-06357, 2010-03-12-06356, 2010-03-12-09993, and 2010-03-12-06358; and any other title/s and tax declaration/s that also embrace the of real properties of the plaintiffs;
 
3.     Directing the Assessor’s Offices of Municipality of La Trinidad, Benguet and the Province of Benguet to remove and cancel the annotation inscribed in tax declaration number 2010-03-06-03053 regarding the double assessment;
 
4.     Directing the Assessor’s Offices of Municipality of La Trinidad, Benguet and the Province of Benguet to cancel the Tax Declaration of Real Property bearing number 2010-03-06-03055 under the name of defendant Dan Vincent Torres;
5.     Ordering the defendants to reconvey to the plaintiffs the three (3) parcels of land and to surrender the possession thereof to the plaintiffs;
 
6.     Ordering the Register of Deeds for Benguet to cancel the Transfer Certificates of Title bearing numbers T-71203, T-71207, T-71208 and T-71209 and to issue three titles in the name of the plaintiffs;
 
7.     Ordering the defendants, jointly and severally, to pay the amount of P30,000.00 as rental fees for the three lots due to their illegal occupation reckoned from the time of defendants’ occupation of the subject properties upon final determination of the instant case; and
 
8.     Ordering the private defendants to pay the sum of P100,000.00 as attorney’s fees and litigation expenses, and FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (P5,000.00) per court appearance; P100,000.00 as moral damages; and P100,000.00 as exemplary damages; and the costs of this suit.
 
            Other reliefs, just and equitable under the premises, are likewise prayed for.
 
            Baguio City for La Trinidad, Benguet, July 18, 2022.
 
 
 
(SGD.)
GAT ANTHONY S. BAGBAGEN
Counsel for the Plaintiffs
Roll No. 61587
IBP Lifetime No. 010905, Baguio City
PTR No. 5411062, Jan. 3, 2022, Baguio City
MCLE Compliance No. VII-0012248 – valid until April 14, 2025
Room 204 Otek Square, Otek Street, AZCKO, Baguio City
Tel. No. (074) 620-2180 / Mobile No. 0917-549-5747
Email: gsbabagenlawoffice@gmail.com
 
           
xxx”
 
WHEREAS, Summonses together with a copy of the Complaint was issued for service upon defendants SPS. RUTH AMOS SALES & ERIC TOMAS SALES, SPS. PATRICIO AMOS & SOCORRO AMOS, and ANTONIO AMOS,  however,  the Process Server’s Return of Service showed that the same were unserved for the reason that the defendants are no longer residing at the given address and others are presently abroad;
 
WHEREAS,  the current addresses and whereabouts of defendants SPS. RUTH AMOS SALES & ERIC TOMAS SALES, SPS. PATRICIO AMOS & SOCORRO AMOS, and ANTONIO AMOS   are unknown and could not be ascertained despite diligent inquiry;
 
            WHEREAS, on August 30, 2022, plaintiffs, through counsel, filed a  “Motion for Leave to Serve Summons by Publication” and the  motion was granted by this court in an Order dated  August 31, 2022;
 
 
NOW, THEREFORE, you, defendants SPS. RUTH AMOS SALES & ERIC TOMAS SALES, SPS. PATRICIO AMOS & SOCORRO AMOS, and ANTONIO AMOS,  whose addresses and whereabouts are unknown,  are hereby summoned through this medium of publication and is therefore required to file with the Municipal Trial Court of La Trinidad, Benguet your responsive pleading and/or Answer to the above-quoted  Complaint within SIXTY (60) DAYS from date of the last publication, serving at the same time a copy of your responsive pleading and/or Answer upon plaintiffs’ counsel, ATTY. GAT ANTHONY S. BAGBAGEN at Room 204 Otek Square, AZCKO, Baguio City. Your failure to do so within the period herein prescribed will enable the plaintiffs to take judgment against you and demand from the Honorable Court the reliefs and remedies prayed for in the Complaint.  You are reminded of the provision in the IBP-OCA Memorandum on Policy Guidelines dated March 12, 2002 to observe restraint in filing a motion to dismiss and instead allege the grounds thereof as defenses in the Answer.
 
Let this Summons be published, at the expense of the plaintiffs, in  a newspaper of general circulation within the Province of Benguet and in Baguio City, once a week for two (2) consecutive weeks.  Furthermore, let a copy of this Summons and a copy of the  Complaint be deposited with the La Trinidad Post Office, postage pre-paid by registered mail with return slip to the last known addresses of the defendants.
 
WITNESS the HONORABLE MYLENE MAY G. ADUBE-CABUAG, Presiding Judge of this court, this  5^th  day of September 2022 at La Trinidad, Benguet, Philippines.
 
 
 
                                                            JENNIFER N. PALAEZ
                                                                Clerk of Court II

---

                                             

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Abra earthquake victims get P1-M aid from Baguio

BAGUIO CITY officials gave financial P1 million assistance from the City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management quick response fund of the local government to Abra towns badly battered by the magnitude 7 earthquake on July 27.
    Ordinance 58, Series of 2022 granted financial assistance to Abra chargeable under the CDRRM quick response fund and approved for immediate release.
    On July 27, a magnitude 7 earthquake shook the northwestern part of Luzon.

    The quake's epicenter was recorded in the northwestern portion of Abra, with residents experiencing intensity 7 tremblors classified as destructive based on the criteria of the Philippine Institute of Volcanology and Seismology intensity scale.
    After the major earthquake, the Abra provincial government reported that a number of roads were heavily damaged, with landslides and collapsed structures.
    The financial assistance will be given to the municipalities in Abra that were declared under a state of calamity.
 
 
 
 

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14 druggies held in Cordi; P112-M marijuana burned

CAMP DANGWA, La Trinidad, Benguet -- Fourteen persons were arrested while P28,530,800 worth of marijuana plants were destroyed in Cordillera in anti-illegal drugs operations by cops August 14-20 even as P84.4 worth of marijuana was earlier eradicated in Kalinga for a total of P112.4 million destroyed.
    Records from the police regional operations division bared Baguio City Police Office had highest number of arrests with six followed by Abra with three and Apayao, Benguet and Kalinga provincial police offices with one each. 
    In Baguio City, arrested were Christian Caluza, 26; Mia Velazquez, 25; and four minors aged 17, two 16 and one 15-year-old male. A certain Alanzar Samson Valencia, 44 was also arrested August 23 at Burnham Park after he sold suspected shabu worth P3,400 to a cop. 
    In Abra, arrested were Myrcha Pait, 47; Fernando Tao-il, 49 and Gerry Ventura, 52. 
    A certain Jean Biares Mailed, 53 was also arrested in August 23 in Barangay Zone 7, Bangued, Abra after she allegedly sold a sachet of suspected shabu weighing 3.71 grams worth P25,228 to a lawman.
    In Apayao, Benguet and Kalinga, arrested were Domingo Lacar, 31; Oliver Ellema, 27 and Reynold Gongob, 47 respectively. 
    Anti-illegal drugs operations resulted to seizure of total of 26.52 grams of suspected shabu worth P180,336 and five grams of marijuana leaves worth P600.
    All arrested suspects are now facing charges for violating Republic Act 9165 or the Comprehensive Dangerous Drugs Act of 2002. 
    A total of 142,500 fully grown marijuana plants worth P28,500,000 were uprooted and burned in Kalinga. 
    In Benguet, a total of 150 marijuana plants worth P30,000 was destroyed by cops.
    In Ifugao, marijuana plants worth P800 were also burned.
    In Kalinga, police uprooted and destroyed 422,250 marijuana plants worth P84.45 million in Tinglayan town earlier.
    Personnel of the Philippine National Police Drug Enforcement Group discovered the illegal drugs during a raid on marijuana plantations in this tourist town, PDEG director Brig. Gen. Narciso Domingo earlier said.
    More than half of the seized marijuana plants worth P54.45 million were uprooted in five plantation sites in Barangay Bugnay around 3 p.m.
    Domingo said marijuana plants worth P30 million were uprooted in another operation in Barangay Tulgao West.
    The illegal drugs were uprooted and destroyed on site.
    No cultivator of the plantations was arrested.

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Laborer held for theft, ‘shabu’ in La Trinidad

LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – A laborer was found possessing illegal drugs after he was apprehended for stealing a saleslady’s shoulder bag on Wednesday, Aug. 24, in Barangay Pico in this town.
    The suspect was identified as David Orbito Matias, 28, a resident of Tam-awan, Baguio City.
Col. Damian Olsim, provincial director of Benguet Provincial Police Office, said Matias was arrested for stealing a bag belonging to a saleslady in a store.
    While being investigated at the police station, Olsim said the police found three small plastic sachets of shabu weighing 0.12 grams, two rolled aluminum foils and a lighter from the suspect.
    Meanwhile, the saleslady identified as Novie Lantaen Maggay who owned the bag stolen by the suspect, told the police that he (suspect) entered a dry goods store around 12:40 in the afternoon to inquire about a certain item.
    Maggay said she went to her boss to inform that the customer (the suspect) wanted some discount for what he was buying.
    But when she looked back, Maggay said she saw the suspect take her shoulder bag containing a cellphone, a charger, assorted ladies accessories, important papers and P9,834 cash, and quickly ran away.
    Maggay said she immediately chased him with a shout that caught the attention of a police officer of the Highway Patrol Group in the area who quickly caught the suspect.
    The arresting police brought him to the police station for the investigation that led to the discovery of shabu.

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3 die as bus topples amid strong storm in Isabela

By Halee Andrea Alcaraz

NAGUILIAN, Isabela – Two passengers died in a bus accident here Tuesday morning,  just over an hour after Typhoon Florita made landfall in Maconacon town, Isabela.
    The Victory Liner bus traveling to Sampaloc, Manila, toppled over and hit an electric post along the national highway in Barangay San Manuel while it was pouring rain around 11 a.m.
    “The bus was traveling south from Tuguegarao City when the incident happened, Maj. Jurneil Perez, chief of Philippine National Police - Naguilian, said in an interview with 98.5 i-FM Cauayan.
    The bus driver, who was identified as Jerome, said he was not able to control the brake, resulting in the vehicle toppling over during heavy rain caused by the severe tropical storm.
    Meanwhile, the electric post hit by the bus is currently being fixed by personnel from Isabela II Electric Cooperative.
    The bus was carrying six passengers, one driver and one conductor, according to witnesses.
    All of them were brought to the nearest hospital for treatment.
    Naguilian police confirmed two of the passengers were declared dead on arrival.

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DepEd: Smooth opening of classes in Cordillera

BAGUIO CITY -- The City Schools Division reported the opening of classes in public and private education schools here went on smoothly amidst usual isolated incidents of the inadequate classrooms among others in some schools.
    City Schools Division Superintendent Dr. Federico Martin said except for the bad weather condition during the opening of classes, there were no untoward incidents that transpired in the different city schools when students started to troop to their classes in time for the implementation of blended learning.
    At present, there are 87,886 elementary and secondary students enrolled in private and public schools around the city where 63,690 are enrolled in public schools and 24,196 are enrolled in private schools.
    He said in the city, there are two modes of classes, the full in person classes where there will be 5 days of face to face classes and the blended learning where there will be some days that will be devoted to face to face classes and a few days for online classes.
    Martin said of the 67 public elementary and secondary schools in the city, 45 schools are elementary institutions while 22 schools are secondary ones. Of the said number of schools, only 5 elementary schools are implementing full face to face classes while the rest are into blended learning.
    The education official noted that among the reported isolated incidents in the different schools include the insistence of parents to be in the school compound to look after the welfare of their children, the unintentional non-wearing of face masks by the children and the non-observance of the prescribed physical distancing because of the eagerness of the children to me their acquaintances.
    He said the City Schools Division is ready to extend support to schools in implementation of in person or blended learning as part of the efforts of the government to go back to face to face classes after more than two years of being restricted due to the emergence of the Covid-19 pandemic. -- Dexter A. See
 

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Use of Baguio People’s Park to be regulated

By Jordan Habbiling

BAGUIO CITY -- Councilor Isabelo Cosalan, Jr. has filed before the City Council a proposed ordinance regulating and governing the operation and maintenance of People’s Park, formerly known as People's Park.
    According to Cosalan, there is a need for the city government to put into place rules and regulations governing the operation and maintenance of the said facility “for the guidance and direction of the general public.” He said it had undergone a major rehabilitation to suit the needs of the general population for better comfort, convenience, and services and to reduce the obsolescence of the park in terms of its physical set-up and complexity.
    “The New People's Park is extolled as a world-class people-friendly multifunction events area that residents and visitors are to enjoy. It should be taken care of,” the councilor stated.
    Under the proposed ordinance, admission to the People's Park as a protected landscape shall remain free “through the harmonious interaction of man and land while providing opportunities for the public enjoyment.”
    However, all activities carried out in the park shall be subjected to the control, regulation, and licensing by the city government through the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO).
    The city government shall reserve the right to disallow any activity therein.
Maintenance fees for the use of the area shall be mandatory based on the Environment Code of the City of Baguio (Ordinance 18-2016). 
    Section 36 of the Environment Code states that admission in parks (excluding Burnham Park, Dominican Hill, and Botanical Garden) is free of charge, but the use of the grounds for photo shoots, concerts, and any other legal and moral functions shall be P1,000 for five hours of actual use or P2,000 per day (eight hours) with an additional charge of P100,00 for every hour of set-up time.
    The same section also provides that the CEPMO shall identify parks that may be charged minimal entrance fees for the beautification, upkeep, and maintenance of the space.  
    According to the proposal, activities allowed at People's Park are social programs, musical concerts, television shows and film productions, field demonstrations, sports tournaments, skill olympics/competitions, political rallies, religious, and other similar activities.

Prohibited activities at People's Park include smoking, drinking liquor, bonfire or undue burning, sleep out, walking or displaying medium to big-sized dogs or similar pets, pasturing and letting loose pets and other domesticated animals, destroying flowers or plants, practice driving of two or four-wheel vehicles, roller skating, skateboarding, among others.

The proposed ordinance has been approved by the Baguio City Council on first reading and referred to the city council’s Committee on Tourism, Special Events, Parks, and Playgrounds for review.

People's Park, also known as People’s Park, was named after American Justice George Malcolm in his honor who had served the Supreme Court of the Philippines from 1917 to 1936. He authored the City Charter of Baguio in 1909. His bronze bust was installed at the park.

According to Cosalan, People's Park has been a venue of important events such as cultural and theatrical performances and political, economic, and religious activities as it is located at the center of the city and is open to the public.

Pursuant to Resolution 272-2011, the place has been resorted to its original condition as a plaza. Since then, it has been managed by the city government free from any commercial promotion and undertaking.

 

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Cordillera cops shed ‘bahag,’ ‘tapis’ to follow uniform rule

By Vincent Cabreza 

BAGUIO CITY—The last time Cordillera police officers were seen wearing their uniforms with the woven “bahag” (G-string or loincloth) or “tapis” (wraparound skirt) was perhaps in 2019.
    Before the COVID-19 pandemic shut down tourism for nearly two years, members of the Baguio Tourism Police were instant social media darlings when they strode around downtown Session Road in their blue uniforms combined with their indigenous Filipino outfits.
    They entertained requests from Baguio visitors for “selfies” and chatted with residents, some of whom came from the police officers’ hometowns in the Cordillera.
    Now that quarantine restrictions have eased and local economies in the region are on the road to recovery, “bahag cops” will not be returning because the Philippine National Police has reiterated its policy regarding proper general office attire, said Police Col. Francisco Bulwayan, Baguio police director, at a tourism briefing last week.
    “Much as we would like [the Cordilleran police to express their identities], we have an existing policy from our national headquarters called ‘Tamang Bihis’ (proper attire) which prescribes how the uniform must be strictly worn,” said Bulwayan, a native of Kalinga province.
Identity
But indigenous communities do not see anything wrong with police wearing bahag or tapis, said professor Jimmy Fong, dean of the College of Arts and Communication at the University of the Philippines Baguio.
    “By expressing their identity through the bahag, police officers are given a sense of place, similar to how the Scottish police wear their ceremonial kilts,” Fong, an Ibaloy, told the Inquirer.
    Ifugao policemen wore their bahag with their uniforms in the prepandemic Imbayah, a cultural festival at Banaue town that hosts one of the most visited rice terraces in the province.
    Police officers serving the Mountain Province capital of Bontoc also wear bahag and tapis during their Lang-ay festival, which is held in January.
    Some critics have described policemen in bahag as a tourism stunt as the attire elicited comments and jokes about how these would make chasing after crooks impossible during big gatherings.
    “The tapis is so thick that policewomen would likely have a difficult time maneuvering,” conceded lawyer Atanacio Addog, Cordillera director of the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples.
‘Our normal’
But matching bahag and tapis with a conventional wardrobe has been around since the early 1900s, he said.
    “I remember an elderly relative in Besao, Mountain Province, who still came out on Sundays in an ‘amerikana’ (suit and tie) and his bahag in the 1980s,” Addog said.
    Archival photographs of old Cordilleran wearing suits and bahag have been ridiculed back in the early 1900s, but Addog said “the bahag was our everyday wear” in the Cordillera before and during the country’s colonization.
    “Wearing the bahag was our normal,” he said, noting that the suits donated by Americans in the process of assimilating the Igorots in the 1900s were the unusual items “which our great grandparents and grandparents were trying out at the time they were photographed.”
    Prominent politicians like Alfredo Lamen wore a suit and bahag during official functions when he served as congressman of the original Mountain Province (composed of Benguet, the current Mountain Province, the former Kalinga-Apayao and Ifugao) during the 1960s.
    Former Baguio Mayor Mauricio Domogan often attended ceremonies in a bahag while former lawmaker and Ifugao Gov. Teodoro Baguilat Jr. showed up in a bahag in several campaign rallies when he ran for senator in this year’s elections.
    “What has been important for [Cordilleran observers] was that these police officers wore their bahag and tapis properly,” Addog said.
 
 

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NolCom chief: Cordillera ‘last bastion’ of insurgency in Northern Luzon

CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — The Cordillera Administrative Region remains the last bastion of communist insurgency in Northern and Central Luzon after the Armed Forces of the Philippines’ Northern Luzon Command (Nolcom) cleared the regions of Ilocos, Cagayan Valley and Central Luzon, the top military commander in the area said.
    “We have very good prospects. There are no more influenced barangays in Nolcom’s territory. Close to 10,000 villages are zero-influenced by insurgents,” Lieutenant General Ernesto Torres told reporters Tuesday during the fellowship of the newly revived Nolcom Defense Press Corps in Camp Aquino, Tarlac City.
    Torres said these villages have also declared the CPP-NDF-NPA [Communist Party of the Philippines, National Democratic Front, and New People’s Army] persona non grata (unwelcomed persons or groups),”
    “Cordillera is probably the last bastion,” Torres said, adding that Nolcom would continue to combine developmental and military approaches to counterinsurgency, referring to the work of various agencies in the National Task Force to End Local Communist Armed Conflict, a program launched during the Duterte administration.
    The Cordillera consists of the provinces of Abra, Apayao, Benguet, Ifugao, Kalinga, and Mountain Province, with Baguio City as its regional center.
    Torres did not cite the number of Red fighters in the Cordillera or how many guerrilla fronts exist there now.
NPA spokespersons have previously accused the military of spreading false information about the results of armed clashes.
    “We will embrace them, ensure their safety when they decide to return to the folds of the law,” Torres added.
    At the Joint Peace and Security Coordinating Committee Area meeting on Sept. 30 with the Area Police Command-Northern Luzon, Torres reported that Nolcom units had neutralized 30 rebels and caused 58 people to withdraw support for the NPA.
    According to him, Nolcom recovered 52 firearms and three anti-personnel mines in the same period.
    A total of 772 ex-rebels were aided in availing of Enhanced Comprehensive Local Integration Program benefits since January.
    The military and police, Torres said, conducted 11,724 counter-terror operations and 4,495 joint law enforcement operations against illegal fishing and logging operations, marijuana planting and harvesting, including the recovery of firearms and bodies.
 
 
 

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TIEZA Kennon tourist rest site mulled by execs

BAGUIO CITY -- The city government is studying a proposal by the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) to construct a tourism service center and rest area here along Camp 7, Kennon Road.
    The proposed 35-sqm facility is 7.3 km away from the Baguio City Hall by road and is in close proximity to the Lion’s Head and view deck. 
    P7 million was set by TIEZA for the project which includes construction of the building, parking area, signage, landscaping and perimeter fencing with solar lighting. 
    Officials said the TSCRA would be “venue for local and foreign tourists in need of information on the tourism sites and attractions, activities, accommodations, safety and security, and other provisions necessary during their stay.”
    The project is aligned with the vision of the Dept. of Tourism to improve the overall tourism experience in the country.
    Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia-Frasco led groundbreaking ceremony for this nationwide project in October 2022.
    Baguio City has been chosen as one of the 10 destinations in the country that will have its TSCRA.
    The facility shall have an information lounge with a coffee shop, charging station, lactation area, a pasalubong center, and toilets for males, females, and persons with disabilities.
    Toilets shall also be provided with a children’s urinal, diaper changing table, and child protection seat.
    According to the City Planning and Development Office (CPDO), the land development shall cost around 4.9 million to be shouldered by the city government. 
    Architect Donna Tabangin, CPDO head, said the site had been identified for city needs as a tourist view deck in 1996. The Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources is currently working on the titling of the lot, she added.
    The City Mayor’s Office, in Sept. 2022, requested the Baguio City Council to pass a resolution allowing TIEZA to implement the project.
    The request letter came with a concept plan and a master site development plan.
    The proposal was presented to city officials and department heads Oct. 17 during executive-legislative meeting.
    It will be deliberated on by the City Council in one of its regular sessions. -Jordan G. Habbiling

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Pangasinan bridge collapses; 4 injured

A portion of the Carlos P. Romulo bridge in Barangay Wawa in Bayambang, Pangasinan collapsed yesterday. Photo courtesy of the DPWH office in Pangasinan.STAR / File

BAYAMBANG, Pangasinan -- Four persons were injured after a portion of the  Carlos P. Romulo bridge collapsed here in  Barangay Wawa around 3:37 p.m. Thursday.

The four were passengers of two trucks.

The bridge connects Bayambang to Camiling town in Tarlac.

Bayambang Mayor Niña Jose-Quiambao said the victims are now in stable condition in a hospital.

She said the municipal government coordinated with the Dept. of Public Works and Highway and concerned agencies regarding the accident.

Quiambao advised motorists to take alternate routes for their safety.     

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Private schools allowed blended learning anew

By Neil Alcober

The Dept. of Education has allowed private schools to continue implementing blended or full distance learning mode after Nov. 2 after the Education department issued an amendatory Department Order to DO 34, s. 2022 allowing private schools to offer blended learning modality and full distance learning options to their students on Monday.
    “Private schools may continue to implement any of the following: Five days of in-person classes and blended learning modality, including three days of in-person classes and two days of distance learning (modular, online, television or radio-based instruction), and thereafter, four days of in-person classes and one day of distance learning,” said Vice President and Education Secretary Sara Z. Duterte in the order.
    She added private schools may also opt to hold in-person classes from Mondays to Wednesdays and distance learning from Thursdays to Fridays, or Mondays to Thursdays for in-person classes and Fridays for distance learning.
    The Education department also allows full distance learning mode of education.
    The order amended Duterte’s previous order which mandates that all public and private schools in the country must hold face-to-face classes by Nov. 2, but public schools, under the latest order, were directed to transition to five days of in-person classes” starting  Nov. 2.
    “After the said date, no public school shall be allowed to implement purely distance learning or blended learning, except for those that are expressly provided an exemption by the Regional Director, those whose classes are automatically cancelled due to disaster or calamities and those implementing Alternative Delivery Modes such as home schooling,” the DepEd order added.
 

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Commie recruiter yields in Abra

By Arlie O. Calalo

VILLAVICIOSA, Abra – The military announced the surrender of a man said to be recruiting individuals to become part of the New People’s Army-Communist Party of the Philippines here on Oct. 12.
    The Joint Task Force Kaugnay's 24th Infantry Battalion and the Abra Provincial Police identified the "former CTG recruiter" as Darson Gimbaoan Tubban Jr. alias "Dindo," 54, resident here of Barangay Laplapog.
    Tubban was said to be a former squad leader of the Samahang Yunit Pang-Propaganda of the dissolved Kilusang Larangang Gerilya-Montes, Ilocos Cordillera Regional Committee (ICRC) of the CPP-NPA, which operates in areas in the province, Mountain Province and Ilocos Sur, the military said.
    Tubban also surrendered one US Cal. 30 carbine, a magazine loaded with ammunition, three rifle grenades and a homemade shotgun.
    The former communist recruiter is now undergoing custodial debriefing wherein he revealed he has grown "tired and weary" from hiding and running away from authorities.
    Tubban added community support programs of the military and the Task Force to End Local Community Armed Conflict in the area motivated him to return to the folds of the law.
    Meanwhile, Maj. Gen. Costelo attributed the surrender of the former communist member to efforts and collaboration of the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police as part of their peace and development initiatives.
    "Your surrender is an inspiration to those who are still active in the terrorist organization. I am elated that you have decided to lay down your arms and yield to the government. Despite being a 'lie-low' CTG member, the confidence you have entrusted to the authorities marks your sincere submission to the law of peace and order," Costelo said.
    Lt. Gen. Ernesto Torres Jr., Northern Luzon Command chief, hailed the non-stop efforts of the troops on the ground that perform their mandate in extending peace to those who are willing to embrace the government's reforms for peace and progress.
    Torres has called out to the few remaining communist guerillas who are still in hiding to leave the armed movement and work with the government instead to bring real progress and lasting peace to the nation.
 

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9 fishermen rescued amid strong waves 171 families flee as Neneng causes floods in Cagayan

By Vince Jacob Visaya

 TUGUEGARAO CITY — Disaster officials said their response units were able to evacuate some 171 families or 423 people in Santa Ana town, Cagayan province as Severe Tropical Storm Neneng (international name: Nesat) poured rains over northern Luzon early last week.
    Santa Ana information officer Irene Faustino said in an online interview responders rescued a sexagenarian who had to cling to a malunggay tree for hours before he was found in Rapuli village as floods persisted in low-lying areas in the town.
    In Claveria town, nine fisherfolk were rescued safely after strong waves pummeled their three boats off waters Tuesday, Oct. 18, the Philippine Coast Guard-Claveria Substation said.
    Coast Guard David Miguel of the Claveria Substation said they immediately responded after the three boats capsized one after the other because of strong waves and gusty winds.
    Two of the boats were supposed to bring farm animals to Fuga Island while the other boat had two fisherfolk on board bound for an unspecified location.
    The boats were recovered but some of their parts were destroyed by strong waves.
Miguel said they have been coordinating on radio with their substation on Camiguin Island in Calayan, Cagayan, to monitor the situation in the area.
    “The floods are receding now but rescue operations continue while clearing is ongoing at areas where the water receded,” Faustino said.
    Santa Ana Mayor Nelson Robinion and other officials have been scouring the villages to assess the damage, noting that farm animals, poultry, and swine also drowned in the flood, Faustino said.
    Twin landslides also happened along the boundary of Santa Ana and Gonzaga towns, just meters away from the town welcome arc, and another in Rapuli village.
    Landslides blocked the national road linking Cagayan to Ilocos Norte while floods also isolated villages in Santa Praxedes town in Cagayan due to heavy rains induced by Severe Tropical Storm Neneng (international name: Nesat) on Oct. 16. 
    Santa Praxedes Mayor Esterlina Aguinaldo, in an online message, said workers of the Department of Public Works and Highways have started to clear the three landslides along Cadongdongan village and other erosions along San Juan village.  
    The heavy rains have been pouring without letup since Saturday night, the mayor said.
    The floods also forced 337 families or 1,178 people to evacuate in the town, the municipal disaster risk-reduction management office reported.
    The state weather bureau said Tropical Cyclone Wind Signal (TCWS) No. 3 was raised in the southern portion of Batanes (Basco, Mahatao, Uyugan, Ivana, Sabtang) and Babuyan Islands, while TCWS No. 2 prevailed over the rest of Batanes, the rest of Cagayan, Apayao, the northern portion of Abra (Tineg, Lacub, Lagayan), and Ilocos Norte. Several areas in north Luzon were also placed under TCWS No. 1.
 

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Architects, engineers groups at odds over Baguio Council proposed law on ‘authority’

By Jordan G. Habbiling

BAGUIO CITY -- The United Architects of the Philippines (UAP) Summer Capital Chapter urged the city government here to comply with Republic Act No. 9266 or Architecture Act of 2004. 
    The UAP Summer Capital Chapter, on Oct. 19, submitted a position paper to the City Council in response to the forum held in the city council Sept. 12 on petition made by the Philippine Institute of Civil Engineers, Inc. (PICE) Baguio Chapter against a proposed ordinance mandating full implementation of RA 9266. 
    According to the proposed ordinance, the practice of architecture shall be the exclusive domain of a licensed architect and that all architectural plans, documents, and appurtenant papers which serve as ancillary requirements for the approval of a local building permit shall be prepared and signed only by licensed architects in compliance with RA 9266.
    Section 20.5 of RA 9266 stipulates that only architects are authorized to prepare, sign, and seal all architectural plans, designs, specifications, drawings and architectural documents relative to the construction of a building.
    The PICE-Baguio Chapter, during the forum, said the issue as to whether or not the design plans and/or other pertinent documents should only be prepared, signed, and sealed by architects to the exclusion of civil engineers is a legal case and is now pending before the Supreme Court.
    PICE-Baguio Chapter members told the city council the case pending before the SC is bound by sub-judice rule.
    The UAP-Baguio refuted this claim in their position paper, stating sub-judice cannot be applied to implementation of RA 9266 since it is an approved national law and subject of the civil case pending before the SC are Sections 302.3 and 302.4 of the Revised Implementing Rules and Regulations of PD 1096 or the National Building Code of the Philippines.
    “There is no injunction of temporary restraining order from the court enjoining the full implementation of RA 9266, nor is there any lawful order preventing the local government units from implementing the provisions of RA 9266,” the position paper read. 
    During the Sept. 12 forum, engineer Stephen Capuyan and architect Homer Soriano, representatives of the City Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO), said they have been implementing the executive order from the National Building Code Development Office (NBCDO) of the Dept. of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) which ordered all building officials to stop using the new forms under the revised IRR including NBC Form No. A-01 and NBC Form No. A-02 which are signed and sealed exclusively by an architect; and to use instead the old application forms, design plans, and other forms under the original IRR of the which are signed and sealed either by an architect or an engineer.
    The UAP Summer Capital Chapter, in their position paper, said the definition and identification on who can prepare, sign, and seal architectural and structural plans is the mandate of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) and not the DPWH as stipulated by the evaluation and recommendation letter of the PRC dated April 13, 2015 signed by then PRC Chairman Florentino Doble.
    They stated that a “mere” executive issuance by a line agency is only a directive which, for all intents and purposes, cannot replace nor govern over RA 9266 which is a duly approved national law.” The said issuance, according to the position paper, has been repealed by the DILG-DPWH-DICT-DTI Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2018-02 dated January 4, 2018.
    During the forum, PICE- Baguio Chapter said it would “adversely affect and curtail” the practice of civil engineering which is mandated by Republic Act 544 otherwise known as Civil Engineering Law.
UAP Summer Capital Chapter described this claim as “misleading” because, according to them, the signing and sealing of structural plans, structural specifications, and computations remains exclusively with the civil engineers.
    “Hence, every building plan submitted for approval by the CBAO will still require the services of a civil engineer,” they said.
    They said it is unfair and disadvantageous on the part of architects to allow civil engineers to likewise practice architecture which is a recognized state-regulated profession.
    According to them, it is the sworn duty of all national government agencies such as the Department of the Interior and Local Government including the LGUs to implement national laws in their jurisdictions.
    They said limiting the practice of architecture to academically trained and properly registered architects will enhance and complement the city’s tourism programs and will help maintain the city’s Creative City status with the UNESCO since Baguio City is known not only for its indigenous culture but also for its local architecture that is distinct and in conformity with the city’s cultural heritage. 
    Copies of the position paper have been forwarded to the members of the Baguio City Council for their information and possible legislative action.

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DOT Sec Frasco graces Sagada IP month event

By Gina Dizon

SAGADA, Mountain Province -- Tourism Secretary Maria Esperanza Christina Garcia-Frasco is guest speaker during celebration of Indigenous Peoples Day in this tourist town on Oct. 28.

Frasco is the newly appointed DOT secretary by President Bongbong Marcos Jr.

The program starts with a cultural parade of members of the community led by indigenous peoples mandatory representative (IPMR) Jaime Dugao to do an overview of the event themed: “Getken, ikkan ya bannolen nan nainsigudan ay kaugalian (Know, do, value indigenous culture).”

Sagada municipal mayor Felicito Dula welcomes participants followed by message of Mountain Province Rep. Maximo Dalog Jr.

The Church of St Mary the Virgin (CSMV) choir renders opening prayer in a song followed by singing of the national anthem, Cordillera hymn and Sagada song conducted by choir director Elvis Ganggangan.

A trade fair follows within the local government compound featuring the town’s processed foods, wines, crafts and woven products including coffee and locally grown fruits and vegetables.

On the second day on Oct. 29 at Kamanwigit Park, proposed tourist sites at the south side of town shall be introduced with the presence of the municipal local government officials and regional Dept. of Touriam representatives.

The celebration of Sagada’s Indigenous Peoples Day came with passage of municipal ordinance 21-2020 declaring every  third Friday of October to showcase the town’s cultural identity through cultural presentations and display of indigenous handicrafts and local products.

The ordinance was penned through a Sangguniang Panlalawigan ordinance approving the municipal measure.

The provincial government of Mountain Province celebrates IP month every first Friday of the October with a program with the day declared non-working holiday.     

The observance of indigenous people’s day comes from Proclamation No. 1906 of 2009 declaring October national Indigenous Peoples Month in the context of indigenous people’s as part of the life of the nation.

In the national church setting, observation of indigenous people’s rights was first celebrated in 1978  then as 

Tribal Filipino Sunday by the Roman Catholic Church.

In a related event, the CSMV shall be celebrating the Indigenous Peoples Month Oct. 23 with the celebration of the Holy Mass with indigenous songs and attire.  

(photo from wikiwand file)

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