Benguet capital foists to sue land developer over “illegal” development that caused floods and mudflows

July 31, 2021 Headlines

La Trinidad, Benguet — The Municipal Council of this capital town has given authority to La Trinidad Mayor Romeo Salda to sue a land developer responsible in an illegal development of an area here that had caused flooding and mud-flows in the town for days now.
The municipal councilors passed a resolution to empower the mayor to go after the developers in Upper Cogcoga and Piripin Bato of Barangay Pico, La Trinidad.
The local legislative move came after the stretch of the Halsema Highway particularly at KM. 3 and KM. 4 in La Trinidad was flooded with muddy waters coming from the said areas since the SouthWest monsoon rains for over a week now.
The flooding caused heavy traffics, damages to properties as muddy waters entered the houses of the residents at the lower areas.
According to La Trinidad Vice Mayor Roderick Awingan, criminal charges and civil case are being readied against the developers. He said an environmental case will also be slapped against them so that a Temporary Environmental Protection Order (TEPO) will be issued against the development projects in the areas.
The council is also urging Salda to issue a stoppage order in his capacity as the mayor to the developers on their projects in Upper Cogcoga and Piripin Bato.
Awingan said the development activities in the areas are illegal as the developers did not secure development permits from the La Trinidad Municipal Government and concerned agencies.
Earlier, a joint site ocular inspection was conducted by the municipal government, Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) Cordillera, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Cordillera and the Office of the Civil Defense (OCD) Cordillera in the areas.
It was observed during the inspection that the developers did not employed mitigating measures and also, they poorly installed drainage system in their development sites.
Artemio A. Dumlao