In my column in October of 2023, I wrote about an “obnoxious air descending upon Benguet.” It was not meant to be literal but more of an imagery of the inaction of concerned school officials over the illegal construction of private buildings on government lands.
No matter how they hide their anomalies, the obnoxious character could be sniffed anywhere even further outside Benguet. And no matter where those involved would go, their misdeeds would be tailgating them.
For starters, I was told that one 800-square-meter lot along Longlong Road was clandestinely sold to a contractor from Bakun for an unbelievable amount of P2 million only. Later, the first buyer in turn sold the property to a lady contractor for an unbelievable higher amount of P5 million.
On that site once stood a cottage owned by the Benguet State University, but it was demolished. BSU employees used to stay at the cottage but were removed and transferred to another cottage to give way to the illegal sale.
What we now see are illegally built eateries and a carwash business. Last week, BSU gave notice that the car wash and restaurant had been operating without valid business permits from the municipal government of La Trinidad, Benguet.
The BSU public notice further announced that no contract has been approved by the BSU Board of Regents allowing for the construction of the structures, nor did the governing body allow the operation of said illegal businesses.
At least, BSU authorities last week came up with a public notice that recommended the immediate dismantling of the structures inside the university property, opposite the Marosan Restaurant along Longlong Road.
The mystery knot that has to be untied with questions like: Who facilitated the sale or transfer of the lot and who allowed the construction of the structures? Who are the BSU officials involved, if any? Why was the BoR during Pres. Comila’s term silent about it?
Newly appointed BSU President Kenneth Laruan certainly has his hands tied with that knot.
In 2017, BSU still had around 265 hectares. But that has been alarmingly reduced to about 100 hectares during the last school administration up to the previous one. What now remains of BSU lands are the swamp area where the strawberries grow, and the residential houses at barangays Betag and Balili.
The present BSU lands include the fisheries area, the built-up areas inside the main campus, fast food establishments, a bank, commercial stalls across the La Trinidad market and the area beside the municipal building, the coffee plantations, and the lots in Longlong which include the controversial property.
BSU has a website but it deliberately avoids mentioning anything related to the school’s land area, and how many hectares were lost to squatters or how many lots were fraudulently sold. Why this was allowed and who were/are involved are things that everybody wants to find out.
These topics have been avoided by BSU officials since the number of structures inside the proclamation had increased. It is evident that more and more private structures without building permits are sprouting in and around the perimeter. Surely, anybody would be stunned to find out the number of privately owned illegal buildings within the proclamation.
At this point, it is long overdue that the Benguet provincial board and the La Trinidad municipal council dip their fingers and feel the urgency of the issue to prevent matters from getting worse and unbearable.
Of course, the alleged illegal sales and the prices that are spreading around in university circles and coffee shops are not the correct figures, since the buyer and the seller would not disclose the real amounts of cash or check that changed hands.
Certainly too, a few people are secretly “millionairing” out of selling BSU lands. But nobody has accused former top honchos of BSU of involvement in such illicit acts. Although, retiring from government or silently stepping away from public limelight does not exonerate one from their unlawful acts.
If they are truly for BSU, the BoR and alumni association should file for an inquiry. CHED, too, should be alarmed and informed of what is happening in one of its universities, unless they already know this but are keeping mum about it.
Relative to its land problems, BSU last week posted a statement on the implementation of Proclamation No. 637 issued by then-President GM Arroyo on May 21, 2004. It was about the 13.2509-hectare portion of BSU’s land at Sitio Ampasit, Barangay Wangal that was reserved exclusively for the housing site of the school’s faculty and staff.
Proc. No 637 essentially amended the coverage of Executive Order No. 99, s. 1914, which had initially reserved the area for agricultural use. Thanks but no thanks to the proclamation, it also opened a can of worms.
With the proclamation, it revealed that Sitio Ampasit is thickly forested, the source of water for the community and not good for agriculture, much more unfit for a housing subdivision. Property owners nearby reported that trees were cut by the developers without securing tree-cutting permits.
Thinking that a faculty and staff housing site would serve both the social welfare of BSU employees and protect BSU land from illegal squatting, the BoR in 2002 and 2003 initiated Proclamation No. 637.
While it was a decent proposal to benefit BSU workers, I believe it violated the original EO 99, s. 1914. I also describe it as a midnight proclamation since it was signed by Pres. GMA in an election period when she was about to take oath as newly elected president after taking over President Erap Estrada’s post as he was placed under house arrest.
BSU explained in its soc-med post last week that the BoR emphasized that the project must strictly follow guidelines, fair pricing, and beneficiary eligibility aligned with BSU’s goals. However, later developments resulted in significant concerns as several awarded lots have been sold to private individuals with the intervention of some unauthorized persons.
So, please find time to walk through the proposed BSU housing project at Sitio Ampasit. You will see that some lots have been converted into commercial establishments which are not part of the original housing project.
BSU acknowledged that lots were awarded without proper documentation even while certain lots were under dispute. On the other hand, there are legitimate concerns about Ibaloy ancestral land ownership, and that the housing project lacked the conduct of a Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) process as required under the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act of 1997.
Despite the issuance of BoR Resolution No. 1755, s. 2009 in its effort to maintain the integrity of the housing site, unscrupulous personalities previously connected with BSU had managed to “facilitate profit-driven transactions and commercialization of the housing lots”.
Thus, in its statement last week, BSU reiterated that it “did not issue any authority to any of its employees or officials, current or separated (retired), to deal, transact or negotiate for the sale or disposition of any of the lots in the area.”
The BoR has the responsibility to call for an inquiry to clarify issues and get rid of the dirty air circling above and around the municipality. Through legislation, the municipal council can stop the present land area of BSU from shrinking due to illegal sales, if they do not have veiled interests.
