Mayor Benjamin B. Magalong chided officials of a land developer for what he termed as “unfulfilled and under-served commitments made in the ‘90s to build and develop its over 200-hectare golf course and country residences in an area straddling Baguio and Benguet.
“For nearly 28 years, the commitments on housing, water supply, and security issues have largely gone unfulfilled, reason why complaints of residents in the Pinewoods Subdivision have been lodged with national and local government offices,” Magalong said.
He expressed disappointment over the snail-paced action of the Sta. Lucia Realty and Development Company during a Zoom teleconference with Chief Executive Officer Exequiel Robles, which was convened to come up with solutions to the issues and concerns that were not given attention by the developer over the past two decades.
In the same meeting, Regional Director Mary Amoroso of the Department of Human Settlement and Urban Development said the firm’s permit to sell was suspended in November 2017 for not applying for and securing permits provided under existing regulations.
The firm was also on the verge of being blacklisted for its reported failure to act on the issues and concerns that caused the suspension of its license to sell over 33 years ago.
Officials of the Pinewoods Homeowners Association representing about 75 residents and nearly 300 lot owners also briefed the mayor and Robles on security, peace and order, lack of water supply, and deficient public utilities in the area.
Magalong expressed his disappointment that issues, including the socialized housing requirement for the development, did not push through and remains an unfulfilled development requirement for the Baguio-Tuba project.
He also called the attention of Robles over the unanswered communications sent to Sta. Lucia in the last three months, regarding the city’s plan to set up a sewage treatment facility at the perimeter of the subdivision.
“I am giving due notice to Sta. Lucia to act on the unserved development commitments in the subdivision and respond to pressing issues on peace and order and water supply,” he said.
“I will not hesitate to cancel the building permit and other clearances issued in the construction project of the company along Leonard Wood Road.”
The development project is also being confronted with cases filed by the heirs of Tunged for allegedly intruding into the ancestral claim of the Ibaloy family. – PIO release
April 18, 2024
