Increasing land dispute cases in Cebu worry PB

Local

THE Cebu Provincial Board has expressed concern over the growing number of land and boundary disputes across the province.

Cebu 2nd Board Member Stanley Caminero, in a privilege speech at the 17th Sangguniang Panlalawigan session on Monday, June 15, said the increasing incidence of land boundary disputes, barangay and municipal boundary inconsistencies, and alienable and disposable and timberland delineation conflicts is caused by discrepancies between historical cadastral surveys and long-recognized ancestral and natural landmark boundaries in the upland areas of the province.

In the past, many of the residents relied on natural landmarks such as creeks and rock formations as identified boundaries, which were recognized and respected by the community, Caminero said.

However, modern surveys have sometimes placed properties under different barangays or municipalities, which eventually created confusion in the communities.

Caminero said these issues deserve the attention of the concerned offices, agencies, and stakeholders as these involve private lands, farms, houses, public facilities, taxation, delivery of services, disaster response, and even local political and electoral administration.

He cited one example of this issue wherein a barangay captain in one of the farthest barangays in the town of Argao, who had been residing in her parents’ ancestral house, found out during the latest political boundary survey conducted years ago that the land where the same house is nestled is located in another barangay in the next municipality of Dalaguete.

To avoid conflicts, the barangay captain decided to relocate.

Caminero said this is not an isolated case, as many similar accounts have been shared by landowners, local officials, and even geodetic engineers regarding land disputes and boundary issues.

“This matter therefore, cannot be dismissed as a mere technical discrepancy, it is a governance issue, it is a social order issue, it is a peace and development issue that, if left unresolved, these inconsistencies can divide neighbors…” Caminero said, emphasizing the unresolved issue may also create conflict between communities and local government units.

The board member said a committee hearing will be held to address the matter. He urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office , the Land Management Bureau, the Land Registration Authority , the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority, and all concerned local government units to conduct a comprehensive reconciliation, validation, and re-survey of existing cadastral, timberland, and A&D survey data throughout the province.(MyTVCebu)