MikeLigalig.com

By MAR T. SUPNAD
Manila Bulletin

DINALUPIHAN, Bataan- The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO), the local police and the municipal mayor are blaming each other for the sprouting illegal settlers occupying the government-owned 700-hectares Bataan National Park in barangay Roosevelt here.

PENRO chief Atty. Ricardo Lazaro accused the police and the local government unit headed by Mayor Joel Payumo, of neglecting their duties and allegedly tolerating the 400 families who illegally set up their houses, most of which are even concrete, in the Roosevelt area. According to Lazaro, this is the reason for the alarming increase of squatters in the area.

“May police detachment doon, alam din ng munisipyo yong nangyayari, pero di sila kumilos noon pa sanang bago election,” Lazaro lamented.

But police chief Supt. Enrico Vargas said that their main duty is to oversee peace and order and not on environment and squatting problems. “Di naman namin alam kung alin dito ang mga protected areas at illegal settlers na nananakop sa mga public lands; pero anytime naman basta humingi sila ng police assistance ay nagbibigay naman kami. Pero hindi naman sila (PENRO) nagsasabi kung ano ang pwedeng itulong ng mga pulis sa mga ganitong problema na alam naman natin ay tungkol sa environment at squatting sa mga public lands; Di naman pwedeng pagbubunutin na lang namin ang mga bahay na walang court order; di naman kumilos noon ang DENR, pero kami ngayon ay sisisihin nila,” Col. Vargas pointed out.

Local media men also learned that these squatters have been in the area before, but for political reasons they were not “touched” by the local leadership for fear of losing votes from these squatters who number to around a thousand voters. “Kung titingnan mo, kulang ng political will dito,” said a newsman.

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