Fake waivers probed

The waiver allegedly signed by City Administrator Mata

The forged signature of Administrator Mata affixed above the name of Mayor Lim

The authentic signature of Admin. Mata above his name

BY RUEL CAMBA

DAGUPAN – City Administrator Vladimir Mata said on Friday that the waivers for electrical inspection issued to owners of several illegal structures near the shore in Bonuan Binloc are fake and that investigation is underway.

            On Monday, the Sangguniang Panglunsod invited Dominador Liwag Jr., retail service manager of the Dagupan Electric Corporation (Decorp), to shed light on why the illegal structures, some of which were being used as resorts, spas and inns, were given electrical connections.

Liwag told the SP that electric lines were extended to these establishments through waivers issued by high officials of the city government based on certifications issued by Barangay Chairman Pedro Gonzales.

He said Decorp normally requires Certificate of Final Electric Inspections (CEFIs) normally issued by the city engineer. However, he said, waivers can take the place of CEFIs under the Electrical Code of the Philippines.

Mata said they were able to secure copies of these waivers and found out that either his signature or that of the mayor was forged.

He said the waivers were purportedly issued late last year on what looked like letterheads of the office of the city mayor bearing the new official seal of the city.

“How can that be when the new official seal of the city was formally issued only last July this year?” Mata said.

Attached to the waivers were Forms 0708 from the Decorp (service record form) purportedly signed either by Mata or by the mayor.

“Why on earth should I or the mayor sign over forms of Decorp?” Mata said.

Mata said that upon discovery of the fake waivers, he immediately asked Decorp officials to coordinate with the office of the city mayor before accepting and acting on any future waivers, adding that they are considering the services of the National Bureau of Investigation in ferreting out the forgers.

He said that cases for falsification of public documents will be filed against the perpetrators.

                                                Illegal

Mata said two big structures located at the back of the BLISS site in Bonuan Binloc have been tagged as illegal as these were built without locational clearance, building and mayor’s permits.

These beach resorts were identified as the Tres Gracias Resort reportedly owned by Diaz-Gandara family and Dimla’s Resort reportedly owned by Roberto M. Dimla.

Mata said they discovered another fake waiver issued to a certain Jazinni Grace Diaz, owner of a residential unit allegedly constructed in the same area tagged as a public land.

He said that City Engineer Virginia Rosario has written to the Sangguniang Panglunsod through Vice Mayor Belen Fernandez asserting that the said structures are illegal.

“Since these are illegal, it is now the duty of the city engineer to undertake the dismantling of such structures,” Mata said.

However, Rosario said in a radio interview that neither the mayor nor Mata issued a demolition order contrary to the latter’s claim that there is a standing memorandum ordering the city engineer to monitor all illegal structures in the beach area and was under instruction to demolish those without a building permit as provided for in the National Building Code.

Rosario maintained that her office did not issue a building permit to any of these structures and expressed surprise how the owners were able to obtain service connection from the Dagupan Electric Corporation (Decorp).

Mata said the owners used the fake waivers to get power supply from Decorp.

                                                DENR probe

The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) is conducting its own investigation after determining that the area occupied by the illegal structures is part of public domain.

PENRO Leduina Co has ordered the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Dagupan headed by Engr. Raymundo Gayo to do the investigation after learning that the area  is under the jurisdiction of the DENR.

Reacting to reports that some of the illegal structures are commercial, Co said these could not have been allowed to be built without their owners securing Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECCs).

Initial investigation showed that most of the owners are not residents of Dagupan who bought the “rights” to occupy portions of the place from members of a syndicate who parceled the area into lots.

The DENR said that foreshore land cannot be parceled or sold to parties without any proclamation from the President of the Philippines declaring the area as alienable and disposable.

Rosario said they have so far identified at least five structures that are illegally built.

She said that there are more illegal buildings in the area where the foreshore land now appear to have been converted into a subdivision with all the lands parceled out into individual lots.