DESPITE earlier warnings, more construction work has taken place near the the borders of the protected Buyog watershed, prompting Baguio Mayor Benjamin Magalong to warn occupants anew that the area is under strict monitoring and that cases will be filed against anyone found encroaching on the watershed.
City Building Official Arch. Johnny Degay of the Buildings and Architecture Office (CBAO) told the mayor that according to a report from the Baguio City Police Office (BCPO) personnel who have been monitoring the area, there were constructions or improvements that had crept up near the fence or the easement previously set.
He said investigations are ongoing to identify the culprits.
According to Magalong, there were suspicions that the fence itself was moved to expand the area that the occupants could build on, but Degay said that it has remained in place.
According to Magalong, the city is now counter checking the status of the structures within the watershed by comparing the present digital map with the previous survey done on the area.
In 2016, the Baguio City government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Baguio Water District (BWD), and the occupants signed an agreement to conserve the forest reservation while the concerned agencies would process the proposed segregation of the occupied areas for residential use.
Part of the arrangement was for the occupants to keep unoccupied areas free of development, assist in curbing further squatting, and undertake annual tree planting.
