TABUK CITY, Kalinga – Mayor Darwin Estrañero went to sitio Bayabat in Barangay Dilag morning of August 15, 2022 to personally solve a road-right-of-way issue that is delaying a road project.
The improvement of the sitio’s 2.8-kilometer road into a two-lane concrete road started in January and was supposed to be finished in May but was suspended after some residents claimed ownership of parts of the land the road is traversing.
The claimants allegedly demanded additional works to fit their personal needs, such as the installation of sewers and riprap, before allowing construction workers to concrete portions of the road in front of the former’s homes.
The City Engineering Office (CEO) had also received letters from the claimants asking compensation for their affected properties.
This prompted the mayor to come down to the project site to talk with the contractor, residents, and barangay officials where he dismissed the right-of-way claims, citing government records.
As per official records, the National Irrigation Administration acquired the right-of-way in the area more than thirty years ago to make way for an irrigation canal with the lot owners receiving compensation for the affected portions of their properties.
Asserting that the right-of-way is owned by the government, Mayor Estrañero directed the contractor to proceed with the project, saying the city is ready to take legal actions should there still be resistance to the project.
He also directed the City Legal Office to fix, once and for all, the titles of the properties with the Registry of Deeds to reflect the acquired right-of-way to prevent any claims in the future.
The CEO said two of the three claimants had already dropped their claims on the right-of-way. By CPIO
