Squatters occupying lot city donated to BIR

CEBU, Philippines - While the Bureau of Internal Revenue keeps on renting spaces from one place to another, the 1,000-square meter lot donated to them by the Mandaue City government is being occupied by informal settlers for 23 years already.

Dr. Danilo Dionson, son of the late city councilor Magno Dionson, has written President Rodrigo Duterte about the status of the said lot intended for Mandaue City Revenue District Office No. 80.

"Upon the effectivity of lot donation, BIR Mandaue didn't utilize nor took advantage to build their official home for reasons known to them only until today," said Dionson in his letter to Duterte dated July 25, 2016.

He said some 80 informal settlers have been occupying the area and one professional squatter, who he knows personally, owns three spaces being rented by boarders.

Prior to the donation, BIR Mandaue had been renting offices along Highway MC Briones for several years, then at Subangdaku, and at the Mandaue City Public Market which was damaged by earthquake in 2013. Now, they are back in Subangdaku.

BIR Revenue Region No. 13 director Hermeno Palamine, in his letter addressed to BIR Commissioner Ceasar Dulay dated August 11, 2016, said that Revenue District Officer Edilberto Causon had already indorsed documents to the Financial and Administrative Services requesting for funding on the construction of the office building.

However, these were returned without action.

Palamine said it was found during a visit to the donated property that it is not a conducive for the BIR building because a jail facility is adjacent to the area and access roads are too narrow. Budget was also not enough for the construction of the building.

Last September 22, 2014, former Bureau of Jail Management and Penology chief Diony Mamaril requested then BIR Commissioner Kim Henares to return the donated lot to the City so that the same will be donated to the BJMP for the extension of the city jail.

Palamine, who replied to the request dated August 25, 2015, told Mamaril that he is open to returning the property to the City in exchange for another lot that the BIR can use as its permanent revenue district office for BIR Mandaue City.

He added that they are still waiting for the feedback of the BJMP and the City of Mandaue on their proposition.

It was former BIR Commissioner Liwayway Chato who reportedly requested Mandaue City during the time of the late mayor Alfredo Ouano for a donation of a parcel of about 1,000 square meters of land for BIR RDO 80.

The City Council on June 23, 1993 authorized Ouano to look for an area to accommodate the said request and the deed of donation was entered into and signed between the City and the BIR on February 23, 1994. —/NSA (FREEMAN)