Houses on ‘reclaimed’ creek being probed
Abalos said Lao’s letter to the DILG was acted upon after they received it on 30 August 2023
Daily TribuneAbalos said Lao’s letter to the DILG was acted upon after they received it on 30 August 2023
A bureau of the Department of the Interior and Local Government is investigating the issuance of building permits for four homes on a creek that the real estate firm of former Senate president Manny Villar allegedly illegally reclaimed.
DILG Secretary Benhur Abalos on Christmas Day told this newspaper that his office had responded swiftly to a complaint by a resort owner that the alleged reclamation has been causing flooding in four subdivisions in Parañaque City.
Abalos was responding to the claim of Wing-An Garden Resort owner Selwyn Lao that the DILG had failed to look into the alleged diversion by the Villars of the Baloc-Baloc Creek into his resort located in Multinational Village.
Lao earlier told residents of Camella Homes, Multinational Village, and two other Parañaque City subdivisions that the illegal reclamation and not his resort is to blame for the flooding in the area.
The engineer said he has brought the matter before national government agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the DILG, as well as the Parañaque City government, to no avail.
The DENR has told this paper that it is investigating the matter, with one of its undersecretaries, Juan Miguel Cuna, saying creeks cannot be reclaimed because they form part of the public domain.
The local environment office of Parañaque City also said it had looked into the cause of the flooding and is awaiting action on its recommendations from the mayor's office.
Meanwhile, efforts by DAILY TRIBUNE to get reactions from the Villars and their company have been fruitless.
Abalos said Lao's letter to the DILG was acted upon after they received it on 30 August 2023.
"On same day, the letter was referred to the Bureau of Local Goverment Supervision, in compliance with Republic Act 6713 and the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2007," Abalos said in a letter sent to DAILY TRIBUNE by his executive assistant, Atty. Kevin Carpeso.
Based on its records, the BLGS endorsed Lao's complaint on 7 September 2023 to the Bureau of Local Government Development, the agency overseeing matters pertaining to building permits.
"In essence, please take note that the Office of the Secretary has acted on the letter request of engineer Lao with dispatch," Abalos' letter said, stressing that the DILG was not remiss in its duty.
Residents of Camella Homes and Multinational Village have blamed Lao and his resort for the flooding, saying his activities clogged the creek that passed through his resort. Last week, residents of the villages worked to clear some of the debris in the waterway inside the resort.
Lao asked the DILG to investigate how the four houses allegedly built on top of the reclaimed creek were issued building permits.