PANGLAO, Bohol – The reported double titling of land as a consequence of tourism boom in this premier island has provoked speculation that it’s a corruption in progress.
This came after the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) bared that the so-called double land titling is the culprit of suspension of land titling here.
The DENR exposes the anomalous act (double land titling) and at the same time blamed its own work force for it.
According to Mr. Charlie Fabre, PENRO-Bohol, the only reason for the issuance of the Memorandum by Undersecretary Atty. Juan Miguel T. Cuna was due to tourism influence, double titling intentionally done by some personnel of DENR.
The environment, zoning and tourism joint committee of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan learned this during its recent meeting and produced its report No. 2019-02 dated September 5, 2019.
But the joint committee report did not say who are those landowners and how many lots are adversely affected.
DIRECTORS ORDERED
It will be recalled DENR thru Undersec. Cuna issued Memorandum No. 2018-800 dated December 18, 2018, to all Regional Directors suspending the processing of land titling in tourism areas within their area of responsibility.
“The Memorandum states that in line with the instructions of the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources, all activities related to land titling in El Nido, Palawan, Coron, Palawan, Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro, Panglao, Bohol and Siargao, Surigao within their area of responsibility are suspended until further notice.”
Fabre “added that the memo serves as a warning to some personnel of DENR not to process land titling in Panglao and also in Dauis.” But he did not name who are those involved in it.
The joint committee came up with a Resolution urging DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu “to lift the suspension on the land titling issuance in the Island of Panglao.”
COMPROMISE RULING SOUGHT
Fabre said, they already asked Cuna to lift the suspension of land titling “in a compromise manner since not all areas in Panglao are tourism sites and that 1 kilometer to the shore will not be processed but beyond 500 meters from the shoreline will be processed.”
The DENR recommendation to the higher-ups for 500 meters from the shoreline so the suspension will be lifted remains a big question.
Dauis Mayor Miriam Sumaylo was quoted by the said report as supportive of the said move of the resolution passed by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan.
DAUIS PANGLAO DEV’T HAMPERED
Board Member Aldner Damalerio brought to the attention of his colleagues the said issue. He said the following were already experienced by business owners, lot owners, potential land buyers, heirs, geodetic engineers, real estate investors, agents and residents, to wit: Economic Constraints; ownership of real properties as no land title is to be processed even in the near future; and development plans in Panglao and Dauis towns are hampered.
Other effects of the suspension: “Upcoming multi-national agency projects in Panglao and Dauis, all in the NEDA pipeline of investments will be shelved because of the suspension; Housing projects and real estate developments are put on hold.”
Damalerio said that “half of Panglao is still on Tax Declaration. Housing loans either by HDMF PAG-IBIG or thru private lending, finance and banking institutions cannot be approved using a Tax Declaration; Non-issuance of land surveying permits even for taxation purposes and that even if you want your land to be surveyed for tax payment purposes, no action can be done as surveying permits are not issued by DENR.”
“Wide-ranging impact on construction firms and their personnel as construction activities for newly acquired lots will be sidelined affecting the income of construction firms and their personnel; and deeds of donation, barter and exchange are also affected.” (rvo)