BONTOC, Mountain Province – Baguio City Mayor took time out from his busy schedule presiding over the first quarter joint meeting of the Regional Development Council (RDC-CAR) and the Regional Peace and Order Council (RPOC-CAR) to act as a mediator in a brewing conflict between the barangays of Lingoy in Barlig and Talubin in Bontoc on the tapping of a water source in a disputed area that will deprive the equitable distribution of the water supply in both barangays.
The P1.3 million Chatul water system project is funded under the Kapit Bisig Laban sa Kahirapan – Comprehensive and Integrated Delivery of Social Services (KALAHI-CIDSS) program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) wherein the beneficiaries will be the residents of barangay Lingoy in Barlig but the source of water supply is in a disputed area between Latang, Barlig and Talubin, Bontoc.
Domogan, who chairs both the RDC-CAR and RPOC-CAR, informed barangay officials of the involved barangays and municipal officials of the two local governments involved in the dispute that when it comes to the resolution of the boundary dispute between the affected barangays, it will be the courts that will decide on the sensitive matter after undergoing the needed litigation to allow all parties to present their pieces of evidence on the matter.
Talubin barangay officials are against the implementation of the water system project because their constituents will be deprived of sufficient water supply from the same water source, especially when a 2-inch pipe will be installed to provide water for the residents of the beneficiary barangay in Barlig.
On the said issue, Domogan explained to the involved parties that the matter is a technical issue that should be addressed by technical personnel of the local governments, DSWD and the Department of the Interior and Local government (DILG) that is why all parties concerned must be present when the technical team will visit the water source on March 26, 2019 and ascertain the volume of water that will be needed by the beneficiary barangay and the residents of Talubin.
DSWD-CAR regional director Janet Armas disclosed that of the total funds for the project, P1 million came from the KALAHI-CIDSS program while the P300,000 was shelled out by the Barlig municipal government as its counterpart for the realization of the project.
“We were elated over the positive results of the instant mediation that we were able to preside over because we believe that everyone was satisfied over the outcome of the meeting that lasted for alost two hours,” Domogan stressed.
Present during the meeting were Gov. Bonifacio Lacwasan, Jr., Bontoc Mayor Franklin Odsey, Barlig Mayor Genesis Changilan, newly-installed PRO-COR regional director Chief Superintendent Ismael Efraim Dixon, DSWD regional director Armas, DILG-CAR regional director Marlo Iringan, NEDA-CAR regional director Milagros Rimando, DOH-CAR regional director Amelita M. Pangilinan, barangay officials of the involved barangays in Bontoc and Barlig and other stakeholders who wanted to witness the outcome of the proceedings which started right after lunch Tuesday.
By HENT
