CITY Hall is bracing for a possible legal battle as an offshoot of the executive order issued by Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr. directing the immediate cancellation of tax declaration certificates (TDCs) issued over parcels of foreshore or public lands along the beaches of the city’s Tondaligan Park, especially in barangay Bonuan Binloc.

Holders of these tax declarations, most of them prominent families and businessmen, are expected to go to court in order to protect their rights although they know that tax declarations are mere proof of payment of taxes and not proof lf land ownership.

Sought to be cancelled are 104 TDCs issued over foreshore and public lands in Bonuan Binloc and two others over foreshore and public lands in Bonuan Boquig.

Dagupan City Legal Officer George Mejia said the city is ready to answer if any of the affected TDC holders will go to court as a result of Executive Order No. 66, series of 2007.

He said the city will demolish all structures that were put up by any of the individuals issued with their respective TDCs since the foreshore lands being claimed were the result of natural accretion adjacent to the Tondaligan Park under the administration of the city of Dagupan.

“We are ready to answer all questions relative to the cancellation of the tax declarations,” Mejia said, adding that they will also go after the people who manipulated the parceling of the foreshore land into individual lots whose supposed rights were sold by them to interested parties.

OIC City Assessor Alan Dale Zarate said it may take his office one week to effect the cancellation of all TDCs, adding that they are now verifying which TDCs covered foreshore land of the Lingayen Gulf and those that are not.

All of the TDCs were issued even way back and the latest ones were issued in 2004. (PNA)