Lim reclamation came 10 years after DPWH started coastal road project

By NITZ ARANCON
Correspondent

BARANGAY 33 chairman Conrad Lim had yet to extend his Lapasan property towards the seashore 10 years after the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) commenced its P4-billion road project from Gusa, this city, to Igpit, Opol town in Misamis Oriental.

The reclamation took place sometime in 2007 after the city council approved a resolution that endorsed Lim’s application submitted to the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) despite the opposition in the city’s legislature and in Barangay Lapasan itself.

Vinah Jean Maghinay, DPWH spokesperson for Region 10, earlier said that while the road construction started in 2000, the project commenced with road clearing operations in 1997.

A fairly large part of the expanded property is standing in the way of the four-lane coastal road being built by the DPWH. The project, once completed, is seen to ease the traffic congestion on CM Recto Avenue and neighboring areas.

City engineer Roland Pacuribot said the house that Lim built on the property would be left untouched but the DPWH road project would cut across the reclamation area.

Councilor Teodulfo Lao Jr., a former barangay chairman of Lapasan, said many villagers took to the streets to protest the reclamation 10 years ago.

The mayor then was lawyer Constantino Jaraula and his vice mayor, Vicente Emano, was delegating the functions of the city council’s presiding officer to councilors.

Lao alleged that the city council railroaded the approval of the resolution to endorse Lim’s reclamation application at a time when the then councilor Alfonso Goking served as presiding officer.

Lao said Goking also authored the resolution.

Goking is the father-in-law of barangay chairman Lim.

Lao said he registered his strong opposition to the approval of the resolution but Goking allegedly used his powers as acting presiding officer to shut him up.

“Nasuko man siya (Goking) sa ako. Siya may presiding officer niadtong panahona. Iya kong gikasab-an. Iya kong gipalingkod. Ingon siya, ‘Sit down,’” Lao recalled.

He said two other councilors at that time–Zaldy Ocon and Roger Abaday–also opposed the approval of the Goking resolution.

“Tulo ra man kami nga supak. Majority man sila. Approved gyud ang resolution ni Goking pabor ni Kapitan Lim,” Lao said.

He said he is unaware if Lim succeeded in securing a PRA green light on his reclamation application.

But he said the reclamation started months after the city council’s endorsement of the barangay chairman’s application.

Lao recalled that many residents of Lapasan, including the then Lapasan barangay chairman Antonio Olango, took to the streets in the hope of pressuring the government to stop the reclamation project but their protest fell on deaf ears.

“Grabing rally sa mga tawo sa Lapasan niadtong panahona kay dili lagi sila mosugot nga tambakan ni Lim ang baybay,” he said

The foreshore, he said, was used by fishermen for their boats, and many villagers go there to swim.

Lao, who once served as barangay chairman of Lapasan, said Lim actually owns a property adjacent to the foreshore that was bought from Metrobank.

The property used to belong to an American with a Filipina wife who decided to sell it to businessman Gonzalo Go, ex-councilor Goking’s older brother.

Lao said the original property that was acquired from the bank, by his estimates, is about one thousand square meters. He said the reclamation gave Lim approximately three thousand square meters more towards the foreshore.

“Kadtong baybay nga abay sa iyang napalit nga yuta gikan sa Metrobank, ma-o tong  iyang  gi-reclaim. Nahulog nga iyang gi-extend ang iyang yuta didto sa dagat, ug kadtong iyang gieclaim mao na kana karon ang na-igo sa  coastal road,” he said.