Angry San Miguel folk blame Moreno for escalating tension

By GENEVIEVE CANTOR
Correspondent

A GROUP of resident of San Miguel village in Lapasan yesterday faulted Mayor Oscar Moreno for the escalating tension due to a dispute over a road that cuts across of property of the Mindanao Health Care Corp..

This came two days after a still unidentified group threw a Molotov cocktail and burned one of the backhoes being used in the diggings in the area.

Ronnie Jamago, an official of one of the affected homeowners’ associations in San Miguel, said the arson would not taken place if Moreno only agreed to release P131 thousand in public funds as fee for the filing of a case in court.

He said the city council already approved P2.6 million to buy a portion of the property.

Jamago said while the one-kilometer circumferential road is owned by the Mindanao Health Care Corp., the city council gave the go-signal for expropriation proceedings.

“Dili mosugot ang tag-iya man gud nga P2.6 million ra kuno ang kantidad sa maong parte ani nga lupa kay matud pa gani nila mahal ang ilang lupa,” Jamago said.

Roger Bulanon, president of the Federation of Homeowners Associations in the area, confirmed that the city council approved a P2.6-million budget to purchase part of the property but was rejected as the offer was to low for the firm. Despite a stoppage order by Moreno on Nov. 28, 2014, the firm resumed the excavations.

Jamago said the city council already did its part by approving to expropriate the piece of land. “Maduso naman unta ni sa korte kung gi pirmahan ni Moreno ang filing fee nga P131 thousand arun ang korte na ang mag desisyon niini or mag-negotiate sa MHCC.”

He said Moreno’s failure to approve the release of funds for the filing fee resulted in the chaos. He accused Moreno of favoring the firm, and of resorting to delaying tactics.