PENRO chief Atty. Ricardo Lazaro accused the police and the local government unit headed by Mayor Joel Payumo, of neglecting their duties and allegedly tolerating the 400 families who illegally set up their houses, most of which are even concrete, in the Roosevelt area. According to Lazaro, this is the reason for the alarming increase of squatters in the area.
"May police detachment doon, alam din ng munisipyo yong nangyayari, pero di sila kumilos noon pa sanang bago election," Lazaro lamented.
But police chief Supt. Enrico Vargas said that their main duty is to oversee peace and order and not on environment and squatting problems. "Di naman namin alam kung alin dito ang mga protected areas at illegal settlers na nananakop sa mga public lands; pero anytime naman basta humingi sila ng police assistance ay nagbibigay naman kami. Pero hindi naman sila (PENRO) nagsasabi kung ano ang pwedeng itulong ng mga pulis sa mga ganitong problema na alam naman natin ay tungkol sa environment at squatting sa mga public lands; Di naman pwedeng pagbubunutin na lang namin ang mga bahay na walang court order; di naman kumilos noon ang DENR, pero kami ngayon ay sisisihin nila," Col. Vargas pointed out.
Local media men also learned that these squatters have been in the area before, but for political reasons they were not "touched" by the local leadership for fear of losing votes from these squatters who number to around a thousand voters. "Kung titingnan mo, kulang ng political will dito," said a newsman.
Mayor Payumo was not available for comment as he was at a meeting that time.
Informed of the problem, Sr. Supt. Arnold D. Gunnacao, Bataan police director, immediately hatched a plan and initiated the immediate arrest of Victor Rotairo and his wife Cristina Fernandez, tagged by the police as leaders behind the illegal occupation of the government land. Two other leaders of the syndicate, including a former army man, however, were able to escape as the heavily-armed policemen under Supt. Benjamin Silo and Atty. Ricardo Lazaro of DENR arrived in the area to arrest them.
The couple was accused of violation of R.A. 7586 otherwise known as NIPAS (National Integrated Protected Area System) law for allegedly grabbing or occupying the Roosevelt Park, which is a protected landscape in Bataan National Park sitting in four barangays- Tipo of Hermosa town; Roosevelt, San Pablo and Bangal of Dinalupihan town- the only area where the virgin forests with century-old trees are located in the province. The arrested couple, however, was able to post bail right after their arrests.
"Puwede naman palang hulihin agad ang mga illegal settlers, eh bat ngayon lang nagkaroon ng ganitong pag-aresto," said a land owner whose lot was also being occupied by illegal squatters, lauding the efforts of Col. Gunnacao.
Illegal squatting has become a "juicy income" for professional squatters whose specialized job is to grab lands whether owned by public or private individuals. A number of lives had been lost due to the issues of land grabbing, illegal squatting in Bataan, prompted local officials to lobby for a stronger law against illegal squatting.
Illegal cities: life among the third world's squatters.(Shadow Cities: A Billion Squatters a New Urban World)(Book Review): An article from: Reason
Lleve un 'okupa' a su casa. (ocupantes ilegales de edificios deshabitadas)(TT: Bring home a 'squatter') (TA: illegal dwellers of uninhabited buildings)(Column): An article from: Epoca
