Zambales Consultant, Provincial Government on Engineering and Infrastructure Development Engr. Domingo Mariano, spearheaded a dialogue and consultation between residents, resort owners, and DENR officials to resolve the land ownership in Barangay La Paz, San Narciso. There are now 273 claimants based on survey conducted by CENRO. MRD
IBA, ZAMBALES — The resort owners in the municipality of San Narciso expressed full support to the program of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of conducting inventory and profiling along unclassified public land in the area.
This developed after the provincial government of Zambales, through Provincial Engineering Office Zambales Consultant, Provincial Government on Engineering and Infrastracture Development Engr. Domingo Mariano, spearheaded a dialogue and consultation between residents, resort owners, and DENR officials to resolve the land ownership in Barangay La Paz, San Narciso.
There are now 273 claimants based on survey conducted by CENRO. Engr. Mariano said he was tasked by Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. to help resolve the problems related to land ownership and land use along the unclassified public land in the province, especially along accretion areas or lahar deposits.
The dialogue was attended by DENR officials, headed by Mines and Geoscience Bureau (MGB) Regional Director Noel Lacadin, Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Regional Director Martin Despi, and City ENR Officer Eduard Serdanilla, and Engr. Mariano as representative of Gov. Ebdane and served as facilitator.
Also present during the dialogue were San Narciso Mayor La Rainne Abad-Sarmiento, La Paz Barangay Chairman Bienvenido Paz Jr., resort owners with their newly elected spokesperson Domingo Ramos.
During the dialogue, Engr. Mariano explained that the local government wanted to resolve the issue on land ownership in La Paz, so that all concerned individuals can now move on or plan for their businesses.
“I believe we have to decide now whether you (resort owners) have to cooperate with the DENR or continue to go against the law.” Mayor Sarmiento said that EMB has already issued to business owners the notice of violations, including: lack of Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECC), no building permit, waste management, no business permit, non-compliance to current Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP).
Penalties for committing such violation may range to ₱25,000.00 annually.
Sarmiento urged the resort owners to cooperate with the government and support the conduct of technical survey for land classification, sustainable coastal management, and the creation of updated CLUP in Barangay La Paz, instead denying the staff of DENR to do their works.
For MGB, Lacadin said almost all businesses and beach resorts in La Paz are sitting on soft and lahar deposited materials only. DENR has declared the whole area as danger zone and prohibited the building of any permanent structure there.
“The shore line has already moved more than one kilometer from its original line. But there should not be any structures built over the expansion. It is very dangerous because sea current will definitely reclaim the area again, not because of the dredging activities,” said Lacadin.
For the part of EMB, Despi said local government should ensure that each business establishment is suitable according to land use classification and compliant with the existing laws and ordinances.
“Business permits are only part of the legal process in the local level. The national government requires that your business is in conformity with the land use re-classification program, before you can be issued your needed ECC,” Despi said.
The DENR team also gladly offered to help the resort owners in securing the requirements necessary to get the Permit to Operate and the ECC.
“We are willing to help you with your requirement to comply so that everybody of us can start our businesses smoothly and peacefully.”
As the resort owners admitted that they need help of the DENR and LGU of San Narciso to secure legal rights for the land they are now occupying, they sought the intervention of Engr Mariano and Mayor Sarmiento to help them confer with Gov. Ebdane the urgency of complying the requirement of DENR.
“It is a welcome development. And we hope that the long standing issues regarding the legality of ownership of accretion lands in La Paz would be resolved peacefully,” said Engr. Mariano.
He added that the government is happy to note that the land owners are now more willing to cooperate with the local government and DENR for the future of their businesses here in Zambales.
He added that La Paz is only the starting point and there are more to follow. MRD
