The saga over the Baloc-Baloc Creek in Parañaque City continues with more revelations on the controversial reclaimed waterway that has inundated more than a hundred village homes.
Wing-An Garden Resort owner Selwyn Lao is threatening to sue two Parañaque City Environment and Natural Resources Office personnel for allegedly harassing him in connection with the illegal titling of Baloc-Baloc Creek.
Lao, in his letter to CENRO head Mark Allen E. Besa dated 1 December, said a certain Daryl and Rommel will have to face a case he will file before the Office of the Ombudsman.
"I was even threatened by Rommel. We are citizens and taxpayers, but we were the victims of inefficient and corrupt officials who do not perform their core duty, that is, to serve the Filipino people," said Lao, who was blamed for the devastating effects of flooding by residents of Camella Classic Homes in Barangay Don Bosco and Multinational Village in Barangay Moonwalk since 2013.
Lao, however, blames the affluent Villars for the floods, claiming that their resort did not infringe on the Balo-Baloc Creek and that the Villars reclaimed the original creek, now an extension of CCH.
"Up to today, the two DENR personnel never delivered the relocation survey conducted by three parties in order to resolve the issue of illegal titling. Despite my presentation to Rommel that City Mayor Eric Olivarez had already conducted a relocation survey, he insisted he should conduct it himself and even obliged me, and Floro Bonga, the president of Camella Classic Homeowners, to attend, but until today, he never delivered," Lao's letter read.
It added: "Instead, the two preferred to cover up all the previous wrongdoings of their colleagues and the illegal activities at the DENR (CENRO), that is, the illegal titling of creeks and lakes that cause havoc to the business community."
Lao earlier maintained ownership of the lot and the creek — which is his land turned into a narrow creek to replace the original creek developed into a road and subdivision lots by the Villars.
He said people did the illegal titling of the creek with connections to corrupt government officials.
He said a title in the name of Robert Orocio dated 6 June 2012 was for a lot on top of the creek that was the subject of residents' complaints.
On 9 May, he added that he attended a formal meeting with Camella Classic Homeowners Association president and officers, representatives of Department of Environment and Natural Resources, or DENR, and the CENRO, Rommel and Daryl, Orocio, and complainants Jill K. Lao, where all the documents on the illegal titling were presented.
Lao added that new structures owned by a certain Atty. Marrisa and Major Tan have been built above the actual creek without respecting the "Easement rules," despite formal complaints, no action has been taken by CENRO.
He said that a two-story house belonging to a certain Mr. Apan has been untouched on the reclaimed creek for 18 years.
'Indecent proposals'
For more than 20 years, Lao said, he made several pleas and complaints which were not acted upon.
Instead, he received various indecent proposals like P1 million to restore his lot and P500,000 to demolish the informal settlers. He added that he received a threatening letter from the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority that three warrants of arrest would be issued against him for the lot he acquired.
Lao said the most crucial issue plaguing the community was "the illegal titling of Baloc-Baloc Creek by powerful individuals or a company, with the help and knowledge of the DENR and the Bureau of Lands."
Formal complaint
Meanwhile, in an interview with DAILY TRIBUNE yesterday, Ma. Teresa P. Quiogue, assistant department head of CENRO, said the agency inspected Baloc-Baloc Creek in November after receiving a formal complaint about the flooding at C4 Bliss, Multinational Village Phase 4, and Moonwalk Subdivision.
At around 2:30 p.m. on 29 November, Quiogue said a team from CENRO was sent by its head, Besa, to inspect C4 Bliss at the request of its association president, Anthony Rey Barba, regarding the flooding that had affected at least five houses.
According to Quiogue, the team checked Baloc-Baloc Creek and found the water level was high, stagnant, and full of garbage.
The report said the team could not determine the cause of the flooding, so they returned the following day.
"On 30 November at 10 a.m., we went directly to the other side of the creek at Camella Homes Classic in Barangay Don Bosco and found the creek was partially blocked by construction debris, which prevented the water from flowing freely. Garbage had also accumulated," said the report signed by inspectors Marlon R. Calderon, Ernanie S. Gatica and Teodoro C. Advincula, and noted by Quiogue.
Water from manhole
The team also noticed that due to the rise of the creek level water was flowing out of the manhole on Camella Avenue which is adjacent to the creek.
CCH president Bonga told the team that the workers of Selwyn Lao had caused the blockage.
Quiogue said they saw boulders and debris obstructing the flow of water, which caused the flooding.
The team recommended the removal of the construction debris and the garbage as soon as possible to prevent further flooding.
Besa then sent a report to the office of Mayor Olivarez through City Administrator Voltaire C. dela Cruz dated 6 December, which the mayor's office received on 7 December.
"Based on our inspection, it was found that there is cemented debris on the part of Baloc-Baloc Creek that is causing the blockage of wastewater coming from upstream, specifically from C4 Bliss. We were informed the blockage was installed by the workers of Mr. Selwyn Lao, owner of Wing-an Resort located at Multinational Village, Barangay Moonwalk," the report read.
Besa informed Mayor Olivarez of the letter they sent to Lao for a courtesy meeting/dialogue to discuss the matter.
Quiogue said the matter is now in the hands of Mayor Olivarez.
The DENR on Monday said creeks are not for sale.
"Creeks and rivers are public dominion and cannot be appropriated or owned by an individual," DENR Undersecretary Juan Miguel Cuna said.
It, however, refused to answer a resort owner's claim that it had sat for years on his complaints against real estate magnate and former Senate President Manny Villar.