BAGUIO CITY – The demolition of some three hundred fifty illegal structures that were erected over posrtions of the government-owned Baguio Dairy Farm will be implemented upon the agreement of the local government and other involved stakeholders, Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan said here recently.
The local chief executive said concerned government agencies, the local government, and the affected informal settlers, in coordination with the Presidential Commission on the Urban Poor (PCUP), are now closely working together for the smooth implementation of the demolition of the illegal structures pursuant to the order of the court.
“The demolition of the illegal structures within the Baguio Dairy Farm was an offshoot of a decision by the court and not by virtue of a demolition order issued by the local government. The dismantling of the illegal structures are being done in close coordination with the city to avoid further complications on the matter in the future,” Domogan stressed.
Several coordination meetings have been conducted by the involved government agencies over the past several weeks to ensure the smooth implementation of the demolition of the illegal structures tht were erected over the government property.
According to him, representatives of concerned agencies remain optimistic that the informal settlers will follow the precedent set by those who built their illegal structures within the BIBAK compound by executing a formal commitment stating that they will formally dismantle their illegal structures voluntarily to prevent further problems in the future.
Earlier, the Municipal Trial Court in cities (MTCC) Branch 2 ruled to demolish the illegal structures that were erected by the informal settlers within portions of the 94hectare Baguio Dairy Farm area after establishing the fact that the structures were constructed without the necessary building permits from the city.
The Baguio Dairy Farm is under the jurisdiction of the Department of Agriculture purposely to advance the production of dairy products and to maximize the utilization of the property for dairy production beneficial to the greater interest of the promotion of dairy production in the city.
Based on the previous inventory conducted by a joint task force that was created for the purpose of determining the number of illegal structures within the government property, there were a total of 354 illegal structures that were erected in the various portions of the Baguio Dairy Farm and all of the said structures are located within the jurisdiction of the city.
Domogan explained as much as possible, the local government wants the peaceful dismantling of the illegal structures with the full cooperation of the informal settlers through their sworn commitment for them to voluntarily remove their structures without resistance in the future.
He expressed optimism that the informal settlers will cooperate with the concerned agencies and the local government for the timely removal of the illegal structures because all efforts are being closely coordinated with the PCUP to prevent further complications on the matter in the future.
By Dexter A. See
