Wing-An Resort permit revoked, owner reveals

A resort owner being blamed for the flooding in four subdivisions in Parañaque City on Wednesday claimed he's the target of harassment, allegedly by city officials.

Selwyn Lao, the owner of the Wing-An Garden Resort inside Multinational Village, complained of letters from the Office of Building Official, threatening to inspect all his permits.

"OBO chief Diamela Apolinario and Business Permits and Licensing Office head Malaya Soriano have conspired to silence me. That's why they revoked my business permit," Lao said.

Lao earlier said security guards of the Multinational Village in Barangay Moonwalk prevented him and his employees from entering the village even after he introduced himself as a homeowner.

"My guests were not also allowed to enter the village because, according to the village security guards headed by former police colonel Mcvernon Manera, I didn't have permits," Lao said.

According to Lao, OBO chief Apolinario was also involved in issuing a building permit to a Chinese contractor who built the Pearl Plaza that is presently leaning.

"There was no soil test in that project. That is not allowed in the building code because that is a 7-story building," he said.

Lao called on the Department of the Interior and Local Government to investigate.

"She's (Apolinario) mad at me because I exposed that she received millions of pesos from a Chinese contractor who doesn't have a PCAB (Philippine Contractors Accreditation Board) license," he added.

It may be recalled that residents of four subdivisions in the city have blamed Wing-An Resort for allegedly encroaching on the Baloc-Baloc Creek and impeding the free flow of floodwater.

In turn, Lao claimed that it was the real estate company of the Villars that reclaimed portions of the creek, allegedly to build houses and a road over it.

The DILG on Tuesday said it is investigating alleged building permits issued by the Parañaque City government for houses built over reclaimed parts of Baloc-Baloc Creek.

DILG Undersecretary Marlo Iringan told the DAILY TRIBUNE the department is working with the city's building official and engineering office and has issued a memorandum on 28 December to the city government requesting a response to the issues raised about illegal construction over the creek.

In response to the DILG query, the Parañaque City LGU said it had not issued a building permit to a woman who allegedly built a structure over the creek violating easement rules.

It maintained that the issuance of building permits is always subject to a stringent review process by the city building official to ensure compliance with the requirements of the National Building Code.

As for the alleged titling of a portion of the creek and its conversion to subdivision lots, Iringan said the city government is coordinating with the government agencies concerned on a technical survey of the subject area.

DAILY TRIBUNE is still awaiting reactions from Camella and the Villars.