DAGUPAN CITY — At least 63 fish pens scattered along the banks of rivers in various coastal villages here, said to be standing on titled lots, are due for dismantling after they are validated by the city assessors office and the city agriculture office.
This was gleaned from a list submitted by city agriculture officer Emma Molina, indicating the lot number where the fish pens are standing, their total land area, the total area of their properties under water and their respective locations.
Earlier, city assessor Roland Suni said that although these titled properties are under water or partly under water, they were supposed to have reverted to public domain.
The problem is their owners are not about to give up their claims to these properties unless their titles are cancelled through proper judicial process, Suni pointed out.
He said the owners of these properties are holding on to their titles which cannot just be invalidated unless cases are filed in court, asking the Land Registration Authority (LTA) to cancel the titles, a process that normally takes a long time.
A press release from the city information office quoted Molina as saying that after clearing all navigational lanes in all coastal villages of Dagupan City, her office is now setting its eyes on fish pens still standing along the banks of various rivers.
The assessors office will validate the fish pens, Molina said, calling on their owners to submit proof of ownership to her office, which will cross-check the titles to be presented with the actual cadastral map of Dagupan rivers.
From July 2013 to Oct. 27, the assessors office and the Bantay Ilog Task Force already dismantled about 664 units covering a total land area of 97.96 hectares scattered over navigation zones. PNA-northboundasia.com