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By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent .

TRIBAL Community Association of the Philippines (Tricap) president Pacita Doydora Panes over the weekend cried foul over Opol Mayor Maximino Seno’s accusation that her group had sought the local executive’s help in order to get one hectare of the Sarmiento family’s 59-hectare property in the Misamis Oriental town.

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Panes issued the denial days after Seno claimed that the tribal association’s leader went to see him and asked if he could help broker negotiations with the family of Marilou Sarmiento so they would be given a hectare of the Opol property titled in favor of the firm LS Property Inc..

The Sarmientos sold some 20 hectares of the Barra, Opol property, and nearly five hectares was bought by Engr. Elpidio Paras, president of UC-1 Corp. that developed Seven Seas Waterpark and Resort.

Panes, who claimed to be a member of the “board of directors of the 52nd Engineering Brigade,” said Seno’s allegations were lies.

She said, “Hag-as man, wala man na sukad mahitabo nga midu-ol  ko  ni Mayor Seno. Wala sukad gyud. Wala sukad ko  maka-adto niya. Wala ko sukad nangayo ug kuwarta. Wala sab ko sukad nangayog tabang niya para makakuha kog usa ka hiktarya. Para asa? Unya maka-ulaw gyud kaayo ba kining gihimo sa akoa, grabi nga pagpaka-ulaw kay gi-publish dayon diretso. Mora bag gipatay ko diretso, wala nako pangotan-a.”

Panes said her group Tricap is a national organization recognized by the government, and she was given tasks and responsibilities by several government agencies.

“Naay  mga ahensiya sa gobyerno nga naghatag kanakog mga katungdanan, unya pagkatapos gipaka-ulawan ko. Dili puwede ingon ana kay ang tino-od lang unta. Ngano man diay og  nakig-estorya sa akoa? Nganong diretso man ko  gipatay?” Panes asked rhetorically.

Panes also expressed fears over Seno’s pronouncement that he would oppose attempts to close down Seven Seas and that this can only be done “over my dead body.”

“Makahadlok pa kaayo ning ‘over my dead body.’ Para kang asa? Sa ako?” Suko lugar kaayo siya sa akoa nga wala koy sala?”  Panes asked.

Panes said she was not against the operations of the Paras-owned theme park in Barra but she said the law should be followed.

“Pabor ko kaayo anang Seven Seas nga dili na siya mawala, kay nakapalambo kaayo kana sa atong tourism. Kaso lang na-a tay bala-od nga dapat natong sundon. Dili ko gusto nga duna koy kaaway,” she said.

Panes said Tricap was an intervenor in the case filed by the Office of the Solicitor General and Department of Environment and Natural Resources against LS Property before the Regional Trial Court.

She said her group’s basis was Republic Act 8371 that created the National Commission  on Indigenous  Peoples (NCIP).

She said her group has documents to show that the disputed property is part of an ancestral domain.

Panes denied that her group lost in the case against LS Property before RTC Branch 17.

“Walay mapilde. Ang tinood  gi-withdraw sa solicitor general ang kaso kay ilang gi-file sa Court of Appeals ang annulment of judgement,” Panes said.

She said she opted not to elevate her case to the CA “kay naay nag-advise nako nga dili ko moapil.”

Panes added: “Wala koy labot ana. Naminaw lang ko. Naghilom ko diri kay ang ako gud, legal man ning  akong dokomento. Magpaabot lang ko unsay resulta. Magpaabot pod ko kanus-a ko tawgon  nga ihatag na sa ako ang area.”

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