Barangay officials seek DENR help on jurisdiction issue

CEBU, Philippines - Officials of Barangay Tangke in Talisay City have asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Technical Department to finally resolve the dispute involving their two sitios that are also claimed by another barangay.

In her letter addressed to OIC Regional Technical Director Wilfredo Lee, Tangke Barangay Captain Perla Cabanes asked for the immediate resolution of the issue as it is affecting both their barangay and Barangay San Roque.

“The Barangay Council of Tangke is appealing your good office to come up with a decision who actually owned the contested area wherein two sitios – San Rafael and Kalinao are located,” Cabanes said in her letter.

According to Cabanes, Barangay San Roque is claiming Sitios San Rafael and Kalinaw as under its territory. However, she said that in their records, these two areas are within the boundary of Tanke.

Cabanes said that San Roque officials recently agreed to equally divide the contested area but later on backed out from the plan. 

“Since the beginning, basic services such as water, medical clinics, financial assistance food aid and construction of public toilets have always been provided by barangay Tangke,” Cabanes said, adding that Barangay San Roque does not even provide funeral services for the two sitios.

She disclosed that the residents in the two sitios are registered voters of their barangay and that the residents are paying their taxes to Barangay Tanke.

Cabanes said that the situation has not only affected the officials of both barangays but residents as well. 

She appealed for the city government to conduct an actual onsite resurvey on their respective territorial boundaries.  (FREEMAN)