Palompon residents seeking probe into island ownership

CEBU, Philippines - Residents of Palompon, Leyte will lobby the House of Representatives to include in its ongoing investigation into the Legacy Group of Companies the ownership claim of Legacy president Celso delos Angeles over Kalanggaman Island.

Municipal legal consultant Donna Gaspan said that the municipal council approved last Monday a resolution urging Congress to include the matter of alleged ownership of Kalanggaman Island.

Furthermore, Palompon Vice Mayor Lloyd Surigao will let municipal assessor Enriquita Lubiano explain before the council the circumstances of the 2004 title transfer from Andres Toring to De los Angeles despite a legislative measure expressing the municipality’s strong objection to the sale, transfer and land titling of Kalanggaman Island, which is a public land.

Kalanggaman is situated approximately 12 kilometers from the shoreline of mainland Palompon and has been identified ever since as part of Palompon.

However, the municipality found out in 1993 that Toring holds a tax declaration on the island which was conveyed to De los Angeles and a certain Joel Retuya in 2004.

In 2006 De los Angeles transferred the title to the Rural Bank of Carmen, Cebu, two months prior to the latter’s declaration of a bank holiday.

Since then structures on the island were demolished allegedly by men of De los Angeles and fishermen were not allowed to disembark or fish within the area.

Lawyer Inocencio de la Cerna, who is representing De los Angeles in the multibillion claims of depositors among the 12 banks under the company which are on bank holiday, yesterday said Manila has not given yet a statement on the matter and he is for now not privy to the issue.

For now, Kalanggaman is being guarded by deputized fish wardens, police and staff of the Human Ecological Security Group after they succeeded in taking hold of the island last Wednesday. — Ferliza C. Contratista/BRP(THE FREEMAN)