Scoundrels at the DENR, the Lands They Sold

By Mortz C. Ortigoza

Binmaley Mayor Pete Merrera blamed the collusion of soldiers and officials of the Department of Environment & Natural Resources by allowing illegal settlers to occupy parts of the 19, 1479 hectares’ military reservation of Camp Andres Malong in this part of Pangasinan.

“Kasabwat iyong mga sundalo kasabwat mga taga DENR kasi ang releasing ay DENR,” Merrera told this newspaper that the certificates of right (CoR) have been distributed by the knaves at the DENR for countless of years for buyers who willingly shell-out millions of pesos for a certain parcel of land there.

 Camp Andres Malong Military Reservation in Binmaley, Pangasinan. Photo is internet grabbed

“Milyon milyon diyan. P5,000 to P10,000 per square meter,” he said about the price of every parcel per square meter (psm) paid by the vendees to these miscreants.

On August 7 this year, 2^nd District Congressman Mark O. Cojuangco requested with expediency the DENR for a cease and desist order of the senseless construction of human structures in the Binmaley’s Baywalk, the portion of military Camp Andres Malong, and along the stretches of Lingayen Gulf pending determination of the legality of their status.

Cojuangco’s letter was addressed to Forester Frank Vincent D. Danglose of the Community Environment and Natural Resources (CENR) of the DENR based in Dagupan City.   

During the administration of Merrera’s mayor-father, he said the shorelines and the areas of the military reservation were squatters-free.

The military camp is under the supervision of 104th Community Defense Center.

An associate of the mayor – who asked for conditioned of anonymity – told this writer that some incumbent and former officials of this town owned a land there.

The newly elected Merrera cited the names of those possessors he said he did not know personally. 

Their surnames are Mejia, Banaciada, Herrera, Lucero, Vinluan to name a few.

“Akalain mo ang acquired property nila diyan sa may kasundaluhan may 570, 1,1080, 16, 170 square meters,” he said about the threatened military reservation.

Merrera disclosed that some of them have even an approved “titles” dated in 1996 and 1997.

The military reservation and the stretches of the shoreline of the Lingayen Gulf are public domain owned by the government.

Foreshore lease law of the Philippines does not allow a builder to construct a permanent structure anywhere within 30 meters from the high tide mark of the sea water.

The tax declarations from the Bureau of Internal Revenue waved by these possessors in the military reservation and the shoreline to the public do not hold water as they are not land titles.

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