By BEHN FER. HORTALEZA, JR.
THE city administration of Dagupan is proceeding ever more cautiously now in its fight against illegal squatters at the beach area in Bonuan Binloc after the initial bravado it exhibited on the issue of public land squatting.

This, after a neighborhood association in the place urged the city hall task force to first determine “with absolute certainty” which tax declarations are valid and which are not to avoid embarrassing situations later.
The neighborhood association, represented by spokesmen lawyer Teofilo Gal-lang and Engr. Rudy Fernandez, both former ranking assistants in the past Lim city administration, pointed out that despite the initial “political thunder” created by the order of Mayor Alipio Fernandez, Jr. cancelling tax declarations in foreshorelands, there remains the matter of proving which properties in the Binloc and Gueset beach areas fall within the coverage of Proclamation 98 and thus deemed inalienable.

City Legal Officer George Mejia had earlier said the city’s absolute and incontrovertible claim over the foreshore lands to the exclusion of all other entities or individuals is based on Presidential Proclamation No. 98.

“What is happening now is that the public, and especially the bona-fide lot owners in or near the area are left confused by the many news reports quoting City hall officials about the cancellation of tax declarations of properties,” Fernandez, a former city councilor and former special assistant to Mayor Benjamin S. Lim, said.

Gal-lang’s group had sought a dialogue with the task force on illegal squatters last week to be appraised on the exact and proper delineation of areas there that may have violated the presidential proclamation before the demolition teams of city hall go to work as threatened by city hall the past weeks.

For some reasons however, the dialogue did not push through

Gal-lang said the mayor’s executive order for the cancellation of tax declarations as reported in the local media did not seem to name which agency will carry out the enforcement or implementation of the cancellation order.

News reports said the city assessor’s office has so far, checked only some five tax declarations in the beach area that may be subjected to cancellations since the city mayor first issued his order last December.

Proclamation 98 declared the 72-hectare foreshoreland in Bonuan as national park. It was issued by then President Diosdado Macapagal in 1964.

By virtue of the proclamation, the city government wields full administrative and stewardship rights as littoral owner over the foreshorelands covered by the park in Bonuan, Mejia said.