The Senate Blue Ribbon Committee has recommended the annulment of the titling of 34 hectares of reclaimed land in Kawit, Cavite, in favor of Island Cove Resort and Leisure Park and the prosecution of numerous government officials, including former Cavite Gov. Juanito Remulla, for their alleged role in the anomaly.
The committee, headed by Sen. Aquilino Pimentel Jr., investigated the alleged Cavite land scam following a privilege speech of Sen. Ramon Revilla who claimed that the scam had affected the livelihood of marginalized Cavite fishermen and had caused flooding in surrounding areas.
"Land registration laws and laws on reclamation and environment were wantonly disregarded or deftly evaded from day one up to the time the audacious grab of a sizable chunk of underwater public patrimony was denounced by Senator Revilla," the committee said.
Remulla, owner of Island Cove, and other resort officers, should be prosecuted by the Department of Justice for their unlawful reclamation of the 34 hectares without any permit or authority from the Public Estates Authority and an Environmental Compliance Certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and despite DENR's cease and desist order of April 20, 1999.
The Ombudsman was also urged by the Blue Ribbon to investigate Remulla for any possible collusion with other former and incumbent public officials in the illegal titling of the reclaimed land in Kawit.
The committee investigation showed that the 34 hectares of land in question (Lot 4431) is under sea water and, therefore, is inalienable and indisposable.
"Being a submerged estate, Lot 4431 may not, therefore, be subject to registration by and issuance of title to private persons or entities, not even to a local government unit like the municipality of Kawit," the committee declared.
The senators also recommended the prosecution of the following officials: former Kawit Mayor and now Agrarian Reform Undersecretary Federico Poblete, DENR Regional Directors Elpidio Tolentino and Sydicious Panoy, incumbent Kawit Mayor Bienvenido Pobre, and incumbent and former members of the Kawit Sangguniang Bayan. -